Relationships Between Early Maternal Warmth and Social Connection

A Randomized Clinical Trial With Naltrexone

Bibliographic Data

ID19301494
AuthorsLauren Ross (0000-0003-4913-2250, University of Pittsburgh), Lauren P Ross, Carmen Andreescu (0000-0003-3767-5127, University of Pittsburgh), Tristen K Inagaki (0000-0002-8825-2637, University of Pittsburgh, corresponding author)
Year2021
Volume83
Issue8
Pages924-931
Publication date2021-10-01
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenuePsychosomatic Medicine (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0033-3174 • E-ISSN: 1534-7796
PublisherOvid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1097/psy.0000000000000986
PMID34292204
OpenAlexW3186727707
LanguageEN
References cited59

OBJECTIVE: Early experiences of having received maternal warmth predict responses to opportunities to connect with others later in life. However, the understanding of neurochemical mechanisms by which such relationships emerge remains incomplete. Endogenous opioids, involved in social connection in both animals and humans, may contribute to this link. Therefore, the current study examined a) relationships between early maternal warmth and brain and self-report responses to novel social targets (i.e., outcomes that may promote social connection) and b) the effect of the opioid antagonist, naltrexone, on such relationships. METHODS: Eighty-two adult participants completed a retrospective report of early maternal warmth. On a second visit, participants were randomized to 50 mg of oral naltrexone (n = 42) or placebo (n = 40), followed by a magnetic resonance imaging scan where functional brain activity in response to images of novel social targets (strangers) was assessed. Approximately 24 hours later, participants reported on their feelings of social connection since leaving the scanner. RESULTS: In the placebo condition, greater early maternal warmth was associated with less dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, anterior insula, ventral striatum, and amygdala activity in response to images of novel social targets (r values ≥ -0.360, p values ≤ .031), and greater feelings of social connection (r = 0.524, p < .001) outside of the laboratory. The same relationships, however, were not present in the naltrexone condition. CONCLUSIONS: Results highlight relationships between early maternal warmth and responses to the social world at large and suggest that opioids might contribute to social connection by supporting the buffering effects of warm early life experiences on social connection later in life.Trial Registration: Clinical Trials NCT02818036

Amygdala · Anterior cingulate cortex · Cognition · Developmental psychology · Endogenous opioid · Feeling · Functional magnetic resonance imaging · Insula · Naltrexone · Neurochemical · Opioid · Placebo · Clinical Psychology · Internal Medicine · Medicine · Neuroendocrine regulation and behavior · Neuroscience · Prenatal Substance Exposure Effects · Psychology · Social Psychology · Stress Responses and Cortisol

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