Epigenetic and Neural Circuitry Landscape of Psychotherapeutic Interventions

Figure 2

Demonstration of the transgenerational transmission of a neurocircuitry template of misattunement. (a) demonstrates the pattern observed in the insecure/misattuned mother. When looking at her child, a mother will quickly access a complex interconnected network, including facial identification areas (FG) and empathic attunement areas (vmPFC and pSTS). Importantly, in addition to these areas, there is connection with areas of the brain which are involved with immediately valenced reactions (amygdala), reward-risk considerations (OFC), and feelings of empathy versus disgust and shame (insula). Thus, there is a prominent subcortical input which will inform whether approaching one’s child is something considered desirable or potentially dangerous. The misattuned mother will preferentially activate cognitive control areas (dlPFC) as opposed to the more empathically attuned vmPFC; in addition, there is heightened activation of the anterior insula (associated with social pain and unfairness) and lessened activation of areas of the VS (associated with reward to external stimuli). Thus, the model for avoidance of emotional attachment is engendered, and there is a corollary in this mother’s child, which is illustrated by the CNS findings in the abused child. (b) illustrates the findings seen in a child who has suffered abuse, which seem to mirror in some important ways what was seen in the mother. Hyperactivity of the amygdala and decreased volume of the hippocampus can result in highly affectively driven responses to stimuli without access to contextual data which would allow for a less polarized reaction; thus, the greater input of the amygdala will drive the OFC balance and favor the dlPFC with regard to how the environment is negotiated; hypoactivation of the vmPFC will impair one’s ability to control this amygdala response and promote fear extinction. Also, the child shows a diminished ability to see the potential positive value of rewarding stimuli due to hypoactivation of the corpus striatum, impacting how interpersonal interactions are seen, and creating a model of mistrust and negativity when dealing with other people. FG = fusiform gyrus; vmPFC = ventromedial prefrontal cortex; pSTS = posterior superior temporal sulcus; OFC = orbitofrontal cortex; dlPFC = dorsolateral prefrontal cortex; BG = basal ganglia; Am = amygdala; AI = anterior insula; HC = hippocampus. As shown in the figure, green arrows indicate greater or preferential activation, whereas orange arrows indicate the opposite. As mentioned in Figure 1, this depiction is of the medial surface of the brain; the dlPFC, portions of the OFC, pSTS, AI, and FG are located on areas of the superolateral and inferior surfaces of the cerebrum, and their representations here are schematic.

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(b)