On cuteness: Unlocking the parental brain and beyond

ML Kringelbach, EA Stark, C Alexander… - Trends in cognitive …, 2016 - cell.com
Cuteness in offspring is a potent protective mechanism that ensures survival for otherwise
completely dependent infants. Previous research has linked cuteness to early ethological …

Roughness perception: A multisensory/crossmodal perspective

N Di Stefano, C Spence - Attention, Perception, & Psychophysics, 2022 - Springer
Roughness is a perceptual attribute typically associated with certain stimuli that are
presented in one of the spatial senses. In auditory research, the term is typically used to …

Consonance and dissonance perception. A critical review of the historical sources, multidisciplinary findings, and main hypotheses

N Di Stefano, P Vuust, E Brattico - Physics of Life Reviews, 2022 - Elsevier
Revealed more than two millennia ago by Pythagoras, consonance and dissonance (C/D)
are foundational concepts in music theory, perception, and aesthetics. The search for the …

The affective core of emotion: Linking pleasure, subjective well-being, and optimal metastability in the brain

ML Kringelbach, KC Berridge - Emotion Review, 2017 - journals.sagepub.com
Arguably, emotion is always valenced—either pleasant or unpleasant—and dependent on
the pleasure system. This system serves adaptive evolutionary functions; relying on …

Rare long-range cortical connections enhance human information processing

G Deco, YS Perl, P Vuust, E Tagliazucchi, H Kennedy… - Current Biology, 2021 - cell.com
What are the key topological features of connectivity critically relevant for generating the
dynamics underlying efficient cortical function? A candidate feature that has recently …

Depression alters maternal extended amygdala response and functional connectivity during distress signals in attachment relationship

SS Ho, JE Swain - Behavioural brain research, 2017 - Elsevier
Maternal attachment-related parenting behaviors require mothers to regulate self-related
and child-related distress. Emotion regulation is, in turn, influenced by maternal mood and …

The neural basis of responsive caregiving behaviour: Investigating temporal dynamics within the parental brain

KS Young, CE Parsons, A Stein, P Vuust… - Behavioural brain …, 2017 - Elsevier
Whether it is the sound of a distressed cry or the image of a cute face, infants capture our
attention. Parents and other adults alike are drawn into interactions to engage in play …

Duration of motherhood has incremental effects on mothers' neural processing of infant vocal cues: a neuroimaging study of women

CE Parsons, KS Young, MV Petersen… - Scientific Reports, 2017 - nature.com
The transition to motherhood, and the resultant experience of caregiving, may change the
way women respond to affective, infant signals in their environments. Nonhuman animal …

The maternal brain: neural responses to infants in mothers with and without mood disorder

AJ Bjertrup, NK Friis, KW Miskowiak - Neuroscience & Biobehavioral …, 2019 - Elsevier
Mothers' sensitive responses to their infants have evolutionary importance and are likely
hardwired into the maternal brain. Mood disorders are associated with aberrant neural …

Intuitive parenting: understanding the neural mechanisms of parents' adaptive responses to infants

CE Parsons, KS Young, A Stein… - Current Opinion in …, 2017 - Elsevier
Highlights•Parents intuitively enact a range of behaviours that support infant
development.•Intuitive behaviours include altering speech, establishing eye contact and …