Neurobiology and its Applications to Psychotherapy

The Early Bonds of Mutual Love: a neuroscientific exploration PART 2

This lecture provides an overview of current neuroimaging research studies of parental, and specifically maternal love, which highlights the essential roles of the right amygdala, cingulate, and orbitofrontal cortex in both mother and infant. Schore describes the initial emergence of mutual love at 2-3 months, drawing on the work of Stern, Fogel, and Trevarthen. A detailed analysis of developmental psychological studies of facial expressions the loving mother directs towards her infant in this critical period is followed by an exposition of the neurobiological and neurophysiological mechanisms that underlie mother-infant mutual love.