Work

Tobacco Smoking and the Resting Maternal Brain: A Preliminary Study of Frontal EEG.

Year: 2016

Type: article

Abstract: Tobacco smoking has been attributed to a wide range of detrimental health consequences for both women and their children. In addition to its known physical health effects, smoking may also impact maternal neural responses and subsequent caregiving behavior. To begin investigating this issue, we employed electroencephalography (EEG) to examine resting neural oscillations of tobacco-smoking mothers (n = 35) and non-smoking mothers (n = 35). We examined seven EEG frequency bands recorded from frontal electrode sites (delta, theta, alpha, alpha1, alpha2, beta, and gamma). While no between-group differences were present in high-frequency bands (alpha2, beta, gamma), smokers showed greater spectral power in low-frequency bands (delta, theta, alpha, alpha1) compared to non-smokers. This increased power in low-frequency bands of tobacco-smoking mothers is consistent with a less aroused state and may be one mechanism through which smoking might affect the maternal brain and caregiving behavior.

Source: PubMed Central

Authors: Haley E Wilbanks, Mariana Von Mohr, Marc N Potenza, Linda C Mayes, Helena J V Rutherford

Institutions: Sewanee: The University of the South, Yale University, University College London, National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University, Connecticut Mental Health Center

Language: English

Topic: Prenatal Substance Exposure Effects

Subfield: Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: green

Funders: National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, National Center for Research Resources

Awards: National Alliance for Medical Image Computing (NAMIC), Oxytocin and Brain Reward and Stress Responses to Infant Cues in Addicted Mothers, Neurobiological and Behavioral Consequences of Cocaine Use in Mother/Infant Dyads, Yale University Clinical and Translational Science Award Program