The Role of Affectionate Caregiver Touch in Early Neurodevelopment and Parent-Infant Interactional Synchrony
- PMID: 33584178
- PMCID: PMC7873991
- DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2020.613378
The Role of Affectionate Caregiver Touch in Early Neurodevelopment and Parent-Infant Interactional Synchrony
Abstract
Though rarely included in studies of parent-infant interactions, affectionate touch plays a unique and vital role in infant development. Previous studies in human and rodent models have established that early and consistent affectionate touch from a caregiver confers wide-ranging and holistic benefits for infant psychosocial and neurophysiological development. We begin with an introduction to the neurophysiological pathways for the positive effects of touch. Then, we provide a brief review of how affectionate touch tunes the development of infant somatosensory, autonomic (stress regulation), and immune systems. Affective touch also plays a foundational role in the establishment of social affiliative bonds and early psychosocial behavior. These touch-related bonding effects are known to be mediated primarily by the oxytocin system, but touch also activates mesocorticolimbic dopamine and endogenous opioid systems which aid the development of social cognitive processes such as social learning and reward processing. We conclude by proposing a unique role for affectionate touch as an essential pathway to establishing and maintaining parent-infant interactional synchrony at behavioral and neural levels. The limitations of the current understanding of affectionate touch in infant development point to fruitful avenues for future research.
Keywords: neurodevelopment; oxytocin; parent–infant; social interaction; synchrony; touch.
Copyright © 2021 Carozza and Leong.
Conflict of interest statement
The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.
Figures
Similar articles
-
Proximity and touch are associated with neural but not physiological synchrony in naturalistic mother-infant interactions.Neuroimage. 2021 Dec 1;244:118599. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2021.118599. Epub 2021 Sep 20. Neuroimage. 2021. PMID: 34547452
-
Affectionate touch and diurnal oxytocin levels: An ecological momentary assessment study.Elife. 2023 May 30;12:e81241. doi: 10.7554/eLife.81241. Elife. 2023. PMID: 37252874 Free PMC article.
-
Oxytocin, cortisol, and triadic family interactions.Physiol Behav. 2010 Dec 2;101(5):679-84. doi: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2010.08.008. Epub 2010 Aug 17. Physiol Behav. 2010. PMID: 20723553
-
Oxytocin and early parent-infant interactions: A systematic review.Int J Nurs Sci. 2019 Sep 12;6(4):445-453. doi: 10.1016/j.ijnss.2019.09.009. eCollection 2019 Oct 10. Int J Nurs Sci. 2019. PMID: 31728399 Free PMC article. Review.
-
Affective touch in the context of development, oxytocin signaling, and autism.Front Psychol. 2022 Nov 23;13:967791. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.967791. eCollection 2022. Front Psychol. 2022. PMID: 36506943 Free PMC article. Review.
Cited by
-
Breastfeeding Practices for COVID-19-Infected Mothers: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Nurs Rep. 2024 Feb 27;14(1):516-531. doi: 10.3390/nursrep14010040. Nurs Rep. 2024. PMID: 38535712 Free PMC article. Review.
-
Stroking in early mother-infant exchanges: The role of maternal tactile biography and interoceptive sensibility.PLoS One. 2024 Mar 7;19(3):e0298733. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0298733. eCollection 2024. PLoS One. 2024. PMID: 38451923 Free PMC article.
-
Skin-to-Skin Care and Spontaneous Touch by Fathers in Full-Term Infants: A Systematic Review.Behav Sci (Basel). 2024 Jan 17;14(1):60. doi: 10.3390/bs14010060. Behav Sci (Basel). 2024. PMID: 38247712 Free PMC article. Review.
-
Enactive interventions can enhance agency, health, and social relationships during childhood.Front Psychol. 2024 Jan 3;14:1245883. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1245883. eCollection 2023. Front Psychol. 2024. PMID: 38235280 Free PMC article. No abstract available.
-
Music production and its role in coalition signaling during foraging contexts in a hunter-gatherer society.Front Psychol. 2023 Nov 1;14:1218394. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1218394. eCollection 2023. Front Psychol. 2023. PMID: 38022909 Free PMC article.
References
-
- Anda R. F., Felitti V. J., Bremner J. D., Walker J. D., Whitfield C., Perry B. D., et al. (2006). The enduring effects of abuse and related adverse experiences in childhood: A convergence of evidence from neurobiology and epidemiology. Eur. Arch. Psych. Clin. Neurosci. 256 174–186. 10.1007/s00406-005-0624-4 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
Publication types
Grants and funding
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources
Other Literature Sources