Parenting and Addictions: Current Insights From Human Neuroscience

Purpose of Review A growing body of human research has documented associations between the maternal brain and maternal substance use and addictions. This neuroscience-informed approach affords the opportunity to unpack potential neurobiological mechanisms that may underscore challenges in maternal caregiving behavior among mothers with addictions and provide new directions for parenting interventions. Recent Findings Consistent with theoretical models of parenting and addictions, five studies evidence both hypo- and hyper-reactivity to infant affective cues across neuroimaging methods and tasks that incorporate both infant face and cry stimuli. Three structural and resting-state brain studies as a function of maternal substance use are also reported. While human neuroimaging research converges in showing that maternal substance use is associated with differential reactivity to infant affective cues, further multi-level/multi-modal, longitudinal, and dimensional research is critically needed to advance this area of investigation.

Automated summary

This review focuses on the associations between maternal brain and substance use and addictions. Studies suggest that maternal substance use may result in hypo- and hyper-reactivity to infant affective cues. Further research is needed to advance understanding in this area with multi-level, multi-modal, longitudinal, and dimensional approaches.