Neurophysiological markers of cardiac interoceptive processing in expectant parents: a study with heartbeat-evoked potentials

Pregnancy and parenthood are associated with functional and morphological brain changes. Specifically, the parental caregiving network encompasses key structures implicated in interoception, that is, the ability to perceive and subjectively experience inner bodily states. Interoceptive processing may be critical for successful caregiving, allowing parents to integrate perceived changes in their own bodily states with information stemming from their child. Thus, it is feasible to hypothesize that pregnancy-related neurophysiological changes can modify interoception in expectant parents. Objective: To compare neural markers of cortical interoceptive processing (heartbeat-evoked potentials; HEP) between first-time expectant parents (mothers and fathers) and matched non-parents. First-time expectant heterosexual couples at 26-34 weeks gestational age (n = 70) and matched non-parents (n = 140, 70 female) will complete a multilevel interoception assessment protocol. Neural markers of interoception will be indexed by HEP, that is, neurophysiological responses to cardiac afferent inputs which are obtained through electroencephalography recordings (EEG) time-locked to electrocardiography events (ECG). HEP will be recorded while participants complete the Baby Face Repetition Suppression Paradigm in which sad or neutral infant facial expressions are either repeated or alternated in a 500 ms interstimulus interval. This manipulation induces an emotion-specific repetition modulation on HEP amplitude (differential effects for sad vs. neutral facial expressions). A condition with adult facial expressions will be employed to examine domain-general vs. infant-specific effects. Expectant parents will display increased allocation of neural resources to interoceptive inputs (larger repetition-induced HEP modulation) in contrast to non-parents, particularly when considering infant facial expressions. Effect sizes will be larger when contrasting sad vs. neutral infant facial expressions. Findings from this pioneering study will provide further understanding of the parental brain and the role of interoception during pregnancy, contributing to the comprehension of complex processes involved in caregiving and the development of the parent-infant bond.

URI

http://hdl.handle.net/10400.22/30766

Citation

Braga, P. V., Marshall, A., Lamela, D., Jongenelen, I., Rocha, N. B., Costa, R., Pasion, R., Schütz-Bosbach, S., Pinto, T. M., Feldman, R., & Campos, C. (2024). Neurophysiological markers of cardiac interoceptive processing in expectant parents: A study with heartbeat-evoked potentials. V International Congress of Psychobiology: Conference Book, 213. https://pure.udem.edu.mx/ws/portalfiles/portal/75919209/Psicobiologia_2024_Congress_Book_v3.pdf