Preferencia por la estimulación visual maternal o erótica en madres biológicas: correlatos electroencefalográficos

Abstract

El periodo postparto es un estado reproductivo crítico en el que la mujer presenta importantes cambios hormonales, neurales, conductuales, emocionales y somatosensoriales. Los cambios hormonales sustentan la aparición de la lactancia, la cual mantendrá la inhibición del ciclo ovárico, que ha sido asociado con una disminución de la libido y menor interés por todos aquellos estímulos que no estén relacionados con el bebé, esto se observa principalmente en madres primerizas. Aunado a lo anterior, se sabe que el “cerebro maternal”, como resultado de los cambios hormonales durante el proceso de gestación y la interacción con el bebé, funciona de manera diferente, por lo que en el presente estudio se evaluó, mediante la técnica electroencefalográfica (EEG), el grado de acoplamiento EEG entre áreas prefrontales y parietales que presentan madres lactantes primerizas durante la observación de videos con contenido maternal y erótico, así como la preferencia, valencia y activación (general y sexual) en relación a tales estímulos. Participaron 24 madres lactantes primerizas clasificadas en tres grupos: Lactantes 1 (L1 de 1.5 - 3 meses postparto (PPT), Lactantes 2 (L2, de 4 – 5.5 meses PPT) y Lactantes 3 (L3, de 6.5 – 8 meses PPT), además de un cuarto grupo control, No madres (NM), que estuvo conformado por 8 mujeres nulíparas. Se efectuó el registro EEG en las derivaciones prefrontales (F1, F2, F3, F4) y parietales (P3, P4) durante la observación de los videos maternales y eróticos mediante un sistema computacional que les permitía seleccionar, a voluntad, cuál video observar, para finalmente calificar tales videos mediante la escala de Autoevaluación Manikin. De manera general, se encontró que las madres prefirieron ver estímulos con contenido maternal en comparación con las no madres, aunque en los periodos más lejanos al parto tanto el estímulo maternal como el erótico resultaron atractivos y relevantes de acuerdo a la escala Manikin y de activación sexual: al observar videos eróticos las madres lactantes del grupo L3 llegaron a presentar una activación sexual similar a aquella de mujeres no madres. Sólo las madres más cercanas al parto (L1) presentaron una menor correlación EEG en ambos hemisferios ante el estímulo erótico, lo cual podría asociarse con el “conflicto emocional” o quizá con una “ambivalencia emocional” que les genera tal estímulo. A partir de los 4 meses PPT las madres lactantes de los grupos L2 y L3 presentaron un patrón de acoplamiento prefronto-parietal característico por lo que es probable que en estos periodos más alejados al parto el estímulo sexual ya no les resulta tan indiferente y por ende, tanto el estímulo maternal como el sexual son atractivos y relevantes. Estos resultados aportan información respecto a los cambios funcionales del cerebro que experimentan las madres lactantes a través del periodo postparto, asociados al procesamiento de estímulos maternal y sexualmente relevantes. Abstract The postpartum period is a critical reproductive state in which the women have several hormonal, neural, behavioral, emotional and somato-sensitive changes. The hormonal changes underlying the onset of the lactation, have been associated with the persistent ninhibition of ovaric cycle, that primarly in primiparous mothers, are associated with a diminished libido and less interest for those entire stimuli not related to the newborn. Added to this, it is known that the “maternal brain”, as a result of the hormonal changes and the persistent interaction with the newborn, works in a different manner, so in the present study was evaluated by the electroencephalographic technique (EEG), the degree of EEG coupling between prefrontal and parietal areas in primiparous nursing mothers during the observation of videos with maternal and erotic content, their preference, valence and activation (general and sexual) related to those stimulus. In this study participated primiparous nursing mothers who formed three groups (PPT): Nursing 1 (N1, of 1.5 to 3 PPT months), Nursing 2 (N2, of 4 to 5.5 PPT months) and Nursing 3 (N3, of 6.5 to 8 PPT months), and a fourth as a control group, conformed by nulliparous women´s (NM). EEG were recorded on prefrontal (F1, F2, F3, F4) and parietal (P3, P4) derivations during the observation of the maternal and erotic videos, through a computational system which allowed select, at will, which video watch, and at the end of it, they rated each video by a Self-Assesment Manikin Scale. In general, was confirmed that nursing mothers prefer the videos with maternal content compared with the non-mothers, even though in the periods farthest to delivery, both maternal and erotic stimulus were attractive and relevant according to the Manikin and the sexual activation scale: while observing erotic videos, the N3 group reached a sexual activation similar to the observed in the NM group. Only the mothers nearest delivery (N1) exhibit a lower EEG correlation in both hemispheres towards the erotic stimuli, which could be associated with the “emotional conflict” or maybe with an “emotional ambivalence” generated by that stimulus. From the fourth PPT month, the N2 and N3 groups exhibited a prefronto-parietal characteristic coupling pattern, so it is likely that in the farthest months of the delivery, the sexual stimuli it isn´t so indifferent, and then both stimulus are attractive and relevant. These results provide information about the brain functional changes experienced by the nursing mothers through the postpartum period, associated to the processing of maternal and sexually relevant stimulus.

Abstract The postpartum period is a critical reproductive state in which the women have several hormonal, neural, behavioral, emotional and somato-sensitive changes. The hormonal changes underlying the onset of the lactation, have been associated with the persistent ninhibition of ovaric cycle, that primarly in primiparous mothers, are associated with a diminished libido and less interest for those entire stimuli not related to the newborn. Added to this, it is known that the “maternal brain”, as a result of the hormonal changes and the persistent interaction with the newborn, works in a different manner, so in the present study was evaluated by the electroencephalographic technique (EEG), the degree of EEG coupling between prefrontal and parietal areas in primiparous nursing mothers during the observation of videos with maternal and erotic content, their preference, valence and activation (general and sexual) related to those stimulus. In this study participated primiparous nursing mothers who formed three groups (PPT): Nursing 1 (N1, of 1.5 to 3 PPT months), Nursing 2 (N2, of 4 to 5.5 PPT months) and Nursing 3 (N3, of 6.5 to 8 PPT months), and a fourth as a control group, conformed by nulliparous women´s (NM). EEG were recorded on prefrontal (F1, F2, F3, F4) and parietal (P3, P4) derivations during the observation of the maternal and erotic videos, through a computational system which allowed select, at will, which video watch, and at the end of it, they rated each video by a Self-Assesment Manikin Scale. In general, was confirmed that nursing mothers prefer the videos with maternal content compared with the non-mothers, even though in the periods farthest to delivery, both maternal and erotic stimulus were attractive and relevant according to the Manikin and the sexual activation scale: while observing erotic videos, the N3 group reached a sexual activation similar to the observed in the NM group. Only the mothers nearest delivery (N1) exhibit a lower EEG correlation in both hemispheres towards the erotic stimuli, which could be associated with the “emotional conflict” or maybe with an “emotional ambivalence” generated by that stimulus. From the fourth PPT month, the N2 and N3 groups exhibited a prefronto-parietal characteristic coupling pattern, so it is likely that in the farthest months of the delivery, the sexual stimuli it isn´t so indifferent, and then both stimulus are attractive and relevant. These results provide information about the brain functional changes experienced by the nursing mothers through the postpartum period, associated to the processing of maternal and sexually relevant stimulus.