Abstract
Postpartum substance use can have lasting impacts on caregiving and child development. Prior work examining maternal substance use and neural responses to infant cues has employed unknown infant face and cry stimuli, categorizing mothers as either substance-using or not, potentially overlooking the complexity and dynamic nature of current substance use. Here, 106 postpartum women were presented with own and unknown infant cues while electroencephalography (EEG) was recorded. Current substance use was assessed through an inclusive continuous approach. The central finding was that higher levels of current substance use were associated with longer delays in the N170 response to infant faces regardless of familiarity, replicating previous work using categorical substance use assessments (i.e., present or absent). Findings highlight the feasibility of continuous measures of substance use and suggest that salience of own infant cues may not be sufficient to override substance use effects on maternal processing of infant cues.
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This work was supported by a grant from the National Institutes of Health [R01 DA026437-08].
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Conceptualization: Kathryn M. Wall, Helena J. V. Rutherford, and Linda C. Mayes; methodology: Kathryn M. Wall, Helena J. V. Rutherford, and Linda C. Mayes; formal analysis and investigation: Kathryn M. Wall, Jaclyn Dell, and Helena J. V. Rutherford; writing—original draft preparation: Kathryn M. Wall and Helena J. V. Rutherford; writing—review and editing: Kathryn M. Wall, Jaclyn Dell, Amanda Lowell, Linda C. Mayes, Marc N. Potenza, and Helena J. V. Rutherford; funding acquisition: Linda C. Mayes; Resources: Linda C. Mayes and Helena J. V. Rutherford; supervision: Linda C. Mayes and Helena J. V. Rutherford.
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Kathryn M. Wall, Jaclyn Dell, Amanda Lowell, Linda C. Mayes, and Helena J. V. Rutherford declare no conflicts of interest. Marc N. Potenza has consulted for and advised Opiant Pharmaceuticals, Idorsia Pharmaceuticals, AXA, Game Day Data and the Addiction Policy Forum; has been involved in a patent application with Yale University and Novartis; has received research support from the Mohegan Sun Casino and Connecticut Council on Problem Gambling; has participated in surveys, mailings, or telephone consultations related to drug addiction, impulse control disorders, or other health topics; and has consulted for law offices and gambling entities on issues related to impulse control or addictive disorders.
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Wall, K.M., Dell, J., Lowell, A. et al. Current Substance Use and Maternal Neural Responses to Infant Faces and Cries. Int J Ment Health Addiction (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-022-00947-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-022-00947-2