0000000000017144
AUTHOR
Rui Nunes-costa
The state of art of biological processes in paternal care
This review of the state of art aimed to present the most recent data on neuronal, neurochemical, hormonal and genetic bases of paternal care using MEDLINE and PsycInfo databases (1970-2013). An integrated model of biological substrates that assist men in the transition to fatherhood is presented. Guided by a genetic background, hypothalamic-midbrain-limbic-paralimbic-cortical circuits were found to be activated in fathers when infant stimuli are presented. A set of specifi c neuropeptides and steroid hormones are produced and seem to be related to brain activation, potentiating the paternal phenotype. Together, genetic, brain and hormonal processes suggest the existence of biological bases…
Cardiovascular reactivity to a marital conflict version of the Trier social stress test in intimate partner violence perpetrators
Intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetrators have been categorized into two groups based on their heart rate (HR) reactivity to stress following Gottman's studies. Overall, type I perpetrators tend to show autonomic underarousal, whereas type II or reactive perpetrators present a hyper-reactivity in anticipation of stress. In this study, changes in HR, pre-ejection period (PEP), vagal ratio as well as psychological state variables (anxiety and anger) in response to stress were assessed, comparing a group of type II IPV perpetrators (based on violence reports and psychological assessment; n = 17; mean age = 37) with non-violent controls (n = 17; mean age = 35) using modified version of the T…