I'M TURNING INTO A DAD. RIGHT DOWN TO MY CELLULAR STRUCTURE!
07/08/11 18:28
It’s obvious how a mother and child are inextricably linked. From pregnancy to birth, to breastfeeding, mothers and their newborns have a miraculous link that can tie them together for a lifetime. What is less obvious is how a Dad and his child are linked. It appears that a dad could walk away after conception and the baby is no less complete than if he would have stayed. Or is this true?
Neuroscientists are now revealing one critical part of this puzzle - the biological mechanisms that connect a father and his child.
It was once thought that only a mother could recognize the unique sound of her baby’s cry. But using an MRI, a new study shows that certain areas of the brain become activated in Dads so that they too, can hear this signature pattern that other adults without children could not distinguish. Because this sound is critical to a baby’s comfort and survival, it should come as no surprise that Dads would need this brain function.
Much to the surprise of our wives, a Dad’s brain is not static. Neurons constantly rewire themselves to new experiences. And additional neurons can also materialize. Scientists have connected extra braincell growth with learning new things. That’s right Dads, our brains can actually grow.
In 2010, a study showed that mouse Dads who stayed in the nest gained new neurons so they could remember their pups’ smell. It then was imprinted to their long term memory. When a Dad was removed from the nest in the first days after the pups were born, there was no change in his brain. No new neurons were created. (Don’t you just love being compared to a mouse?)
In another experiment, mouse Dads had a screen between themselves and their pups. They could smell them but not touch them. In this case, no new brain activity occurred. But when the screen was removed and they could touch their own pups, it was the hands-on experience that brought about the extra dose of brain cells. Physical contact is the key.
The ability to form these new brain cells is the responsibility of a hormone called prolactin - the exact same hormone responsible for milk production in new mothers. (Don’t worry dudes, this isn’t an article about men breastfeeding.) Another similarity between mothers and fathers and their newborns is that just like moms, Dads with higher levels of oxytocin exhibit stronger paternal instincts in the first months of their child’s life.
Prolactin and oxytocin are very much tied to social interaction so it may not be surprising that they’re involved in a father-child bond, but these new studies show that hormones relating to sex and stress are also being linked to paternal behaviors.
I think it’s really cool that science is finally catching up with what us Dads have been saying all along; we are deeply connected and commited to our kids in ways that no one has ever given us credit.
Based on article from “How Dads Develop” by Brian Mossop Scientific American Mind July/August 2011