Neuroanatomical and neurochemical basis of parenting: Dynamic coordination of motivational, affective and cognitive processes

• We review the functional neural circuitry of parenting.
• We argue that studying parenting in the context of social understanding is critical.
• Parenting relies on the intricate interplay of neural, mental and behavioral processes.
• These processes shape parents' ability to attune caregiving to the young's needs.
• Integration of these processes is dynamic and occurs at multiple levels.

This article is part of a Special Issue “Parental Care”. Becoming a parent is arguably the most profound transforming experience in life. It is also inherently very emotionally and physically demanding, such that the reciprocal interaction with the young changes the brain and behavior of the parents. In this review, we examine the neurobiological mechanisms of parenting primarily discussing recent research findings in rodents and primates, especially humans. We argue that it is essential to consider parenting within a conceptual framework that recognizes the dynamics of the reciprocal mother–young relationship, including both the complexity and neuroplasticity of its underlying mechanisms. Converging research suggests that the concerted activity of a distributed network of subcortical and cortical brain structures regulates different key aspects of parenting, including the sensory analysis of infant stimuli as well as motivational, affective and cognitive processes. The interplay among these processes depends on the action of various neurotransmitters and hormones that modulate the timely and coordinated execution of caregiving responses of the maternal circuitry exquisitely attuned to the young's affect, needs and developmental stage. We conclude with a summary and a set of questions that may guide future research.