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Orbitofrontal cortex tracks positive mood in mothers viewing pictures of their new born infants.

Orbitofrontal cortex tracks positive mood in mothers viewing pictures of their new born infants. . J.B. Nitschke, E.E. Nelson, B.D. Rusch, A.S. Fox, T.R. Oakes & R.J. Davidson Interpreted by Kelsey Andison. Introduction. Little progress in tracking the circuitry governing positive emotion.

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Orbitofrontal cortex tracks positive mood in mothers viewing pictures of their new born infants.

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  1. Orbitofrontal cortex tracks positive mood in mothers viewing pictures of their new born infants. J.B. Nitschke, E.E. Nelson, B.D. Rusch, A.S. Fox, T.R. Oakes & R.J. Davidson Interpreted by Kelsey Andison

  2. Introduction • Little progress in tracking the circuitry governing positive emotion. • Most previous research – almost exclusively : reward paradigms & pharmacological agents with nonhuman mammals. • Recent human studies – identify brain substrates associated with reward and drug abusers - limited sampling of positive emotion

  3. Some studies asked subjects to re-experience happy life events. • Not been previously investigated – positive affect in a mother’s relationship with her infant. • Positive emotion in maternal attachment = warmth, joy, fulfillment = post-goal attainment positive affect How to elicit genuine positive emotion?

  4. Method- Participants/Stimuli • 6 Moms (3-5 month infants) no postpartum depression • 6 weeks prior came in for photo shoot – infant and friend of mom (same gender as infant) photographed • Adult photos = Control Infant photos = Stimuli • Mood ratings – 9 point scale for 5 descriptors • Happy, Loving, Motherly/Nurturing, & Excited

  5. Experimental method

  6. Results • Mood – more pleasant after viewing own infant versus unfamiliar infant • Bilateral OFC activation to own infant versus unfamiliar infant. Most activation shown in left OFC. • Positive correlation between OFC activation and pleasant mood ratings.

  7. Results 1st Infant scan 2nd Infant scan

  8. Results – Key Findings • Pleasant Mood = positively correlated with orbitofrontal cortex activation • Bilateral OFC activation in all subjects when viewing own infant compared to baseline & unfamiliar infants.

  9. Discussion/ Interesting Points • Therefore – OFC implicated in positive emotions • Based on own vs. unfamiliar infants – OFC tracks intensity of positive emotion/mood • OFC in maternal attachment involves appreciation and enjoyment rather than pursuit of desired objective.

  10. Strengths & Limitations Strengths Limitations • Very clearly laid out method – could be easily replicated • Uses an actual positive emotion evoking stimuli not just a reward. • Too small of a sample size

  11. My Opinion • Overall, I liked the paper. - well explained and very detailed • Easy to understand the why and how. • Interesting perspective on positive emotion – using a situation where there is an abundance of positive emotion.

  12. Questions?

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