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. 2019 Feb 18:124:117-124.
doi: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2018.12.021. Epub 2018 Dec 27.

Inter-brain synchrony in mother-child dyads during cooperation: An fNIRS hyperscanning study

Jonas G Miller  1 , Pascal Vrtička  2 , Xu Cui  3 , Sharon Shrestha  3 , S M Hadi Hosseini  3 , Joseph M Baker  3 , Allan L Reiss  4
Affiliations

Inter-brain synchrony in mother-child dyads during cooperation: An fNIRS hyperscanning study

Jonas G Miller et al. Neuropsychologia. .

Abstract

Coordinated brain activity between individuals, or inter-brain synchrony, has been shown to increase during cooperation and correlate with cooperation success. However, few studies have examined parent-child inter-brain synchrony and whether it is associated with meaningful aspects of the parent-child relationship. Here, we measured inter-brain synchrony in the right prefrontal (PFC) and temporal cortices in mother-child dyads while they engaged in a cooperative and independent task. We tested whether inter-brain synchrony in mother-child dyads (1) increases during cooperation, (2) differs in mother-son versus mother-daughter dyads, and (3) is related to cooperation performance and the attachment relationship. Overall inter-brain synchrony in the right hemisphere, and the right dorsolateral and frontopolar PFC in particular, was higher during cooperation. Mother-son dyads showed less inter-brain synchrony during the independent task and a stronger increase in synchrony in response to cooperation than mother-daughter dyads. Lastly, we did not find strong evidence for links between inter-brain synchrony and child attachment. Mother-child cooperation may increase overall inter-brain synchrony, although differently for mother-son versus mother-daughter dyads. More research is needed to better understand the potential role of overall inter-brain synchrony in mother-child cooperation, and the potential link between inter-brain synchrony and attachment.

Keywords: Cooperation; Inter-brain synchrony; Mother-child attachment; fNIRS hyperscanning.

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Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.. Trial Stimulus Sequence.
Screenshots of the ready signal, “go” signal to initiate mother and child response, and feedback window.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.. fNIRS Optodes and Regions of Interest.
The estimated average location of source (red circles) and detector (blue circles) optodes based on 3D digitizer data and plotted in MNI space. The average MNI coordinates for each optode are listed in Table 1. The ROIs were established a priori for the right inferior (yellow triangle), right dorsolateral (red triangle), right superior (green triangle), and right frontopolar prefrontal cortex (purple triangle), as well as right temporoparietal cortex (blue rectangle).
Figure 3.
Figure 3.. Inter-brain Synchrony during the Independent versus Cooperation Conditions.
* p < .05. Error bars represent one standard error of the means.
Figure 4.
Figure 4.. ROI specific Inter-brain Synchrony during the Independent versus Cooperation Conditions.
* p < .05 uncorrected. Error bars represent one standard error of the means.
Figure 5.
Figure 5.. Inter-brain Synchrony during the Independent versus Cooperation Conditions for Mother-Daughter and Mother-Son Dyads separately.
† p = .05, * p < .05. Error bars represent one standard error of the means.
Figure 6.
Figure 6.. ROI specific Inter-brain Synchrony during the Independent versus Cooperation Conditions for Mother-Son Dyads (left) and Mother-Daughter Dyads (right).
* p < .05 uncorrected. Error bars represent one standard error of the means.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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