Brains of nursing moms more aware of baby’s cries

Boost in brain activity seen in regions associated with mothering behaviors

In a finding that won’t surprise many mothers, a new study says breast-feeding may help secure the bond between mother and child. But the study also offers one explanation how: through a change in the mother’s brain.
The brains of breast-feeding mothers show a greater response to the sound of their babies’ cries than do the brains of mothers who do not breast-feed, the study researchers say.
This boost in brain activity is seen in brain regions associated with mothering behaviors.

The finding adds to a growing list of the benefits of breast-feeding. Breast milk is considered the best source of nutrition for babies, and breast-feeding has been linked with better test scores and better health for the child later in life.
The results suggest this brain activity facilitates greater sensitivity from the mother toward her infant as the baby begins to socially interact with the world, the researchers say.
The study may help people to “recognize that it’s important to support mothers who do want to breast-feed,” said study researcher Pilyoung Kim, of the National Institute of Mental Health.
That’s not to say that women must breast-feed. Some women choose not to breast-feed, while others can’t, either because of biological problems or other issues, including constraints imposed on them by their jobs. Kim herself has a 1-year old son and has had difficulties with breast-feeding.


“I understand the challenges mothers have,” Kim said. “Regardless of their decision, I think it is critical during this early postpartum period that they seek support and encouragement from others, especially when they feel very stressed and challenged by the new demands because of the new parenting experience.”
An infant’s cry
Kim and her colleagues examined 17 new mothers. Nine of the mothers breast-fed while the other eight used formula to feed their babies.
Two to four weeks after giving birth, the mothers had their brains scanned using a functional magnetic resonance (fMRI) machine while they listened to recordings of both their own baby’s cries and the cries of newborns who weren’t their children


Mothers who breast-fed showed greater activity in several brain regions, including the superior frontal gyrus, striatum and amygdala. Studies on animals have found links between these brain regions and parenting behavior.
The researchers also examined the mothers’ behavior in the home. The women were videotaped interacting with their 3- to 4-week-old infants. The researchers rated the mothers on how affectionate, or sensitive, they were toward their babies. The ratings were based on factors such has returning a smile to the infant or responding appropriately when the infant was stressed, Kim said.
Regardless of whether the mothers breast-fed or formula-fed their babies, increased activity in the mothers’ superior frontal gyrus and amygdala was associated with greater maternal sensitivity, the researchers say.
Developing empathy
The brain regions activated in the study may be responsible for empathy. So high activity in these regions may contribute to the breast-feeding mother’s ability to understand how her own infant is feeling and respond in an appropriate way, the researchers say.
These brain regions are “definitely doing something to help process the information and perhaps motivate the mothers to exhibit more caregiving behaviors,” Kim said.
It’s possible hormones released during breast-feeding, such as oxytocin, may contribute to brain and behavioral changes in the mother. Research is needed on larger groups of people to better understand the relationship between breast-feeding and brain responses, Kim said.
A better understanding of this relationship may help researchers learn why some mothers have trouble forming an emotional bond with their child, and perhaps lead to a treatment or intervention for those mothers, Kim said.
The study was published online April 18 in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry.
Pass it on: Breast-feeding mothers show a greater response in their brains to their own infants’ cry than do non-breast-feeding mothers.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43173098/ns/health-kids_and_parenting/Breastfeeding

New studies reveal evidence that cell phone radiation damages DNA, brain, and sperm

New independent studies offer proof that confirms findings from the Council of Europe: pulsed digital signals from cell phones disrupt DNA, impair brain function, and lower sperm count, according to a statement by theEnvironmental Health Trust (EHT).

On May 23, a think-tank of experts organized by Gazi University and EHT convened at a workshop in Istanbul, Turkey, “Science Update: Cell Phones and Health,” to present the findings.

Prof. Nesrin Seyhan , WHO and NATO advisor and head and founder of the Biophysics Department and Bioelectromagnetics Laboratory at Gazi University in Ankara and founder of the Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (GNRP) Center, found that just four hours of exposure to RF-EMF disrupts the ability of human brain cells to repair damaged genes.

Other new  work from Australia shows damage to human sperm.

“This work provides a warning signal to all of us. The evidence justifies precautionary measures to reduce the risks for every one of us,” says Prof. Wilhelm Mosgoeller from the Medical University of Vienna, who has led European research teams that found that RF-EMF induces DNA breaks.

Two years after false accusations against scientists who described DNA breaks, recent results finally show that exposure-induced DNA breaks are real, according to these scientists.

Impact on reproductive health and cell death

Insect studies have demonstrated that acute exposure to GSM (Global System for Mobile) signals brings about DNA fragmentation in insects’ ovarian cells, and consequently a large reduction in the reproductive capacity of the insects. Further studies demonstrated that long exposures induced cell death to the insects in the study.

Dr. Adamantia Fragopoulou, leader of a team at the University of Athens, found effects on embryonic development taking place in the presence of a mild electromagnetic field. Throughout the gestation period, exposure to radiation for just six minutes a day affects the bone formation of fetuses. The team suggests that this is possibly caused by the interaction of cell phone radiation with crucial molecules and ions involved in embryogenesis.

Impacts on the young brain

Dr. Seyhan found that the increasing use of cell phones — and the increasing number of associated base stations — are becoming a widespread source of non-ionizing electromagnetic radiation. This work suggests that some biological effects are likely to occur even with low-level electromagnetic fields. The team concluded that 900 and 1,800 MHz radiation levels is related to an increase in the permeability of the blood-brain barrier in young adult male rats. The rat’s brains can be used to correspond to the brains of human teenagers.

Children are increasingly heavy users of cell phones; at higher frequencies, children absorb more energy from external radio frequency radiation than adults, because their tissue normally contains a larger number of ions and so has a higher conductivity. They conclude limiting cell phone and cordless phone use by young children and teenagers to the lowest possible level and urgently ban telecom companies from marketing to them.

In addition, research from a team at the University of Athens found that rats exposed to cell phone radiation were unable to remember the location of places previously familiar to them. This finding is of potentially critical importance for people who heavily rely on spatial memory for recording information about their environment and spatial orientation.