Male Brain and Parenting, 5

It has be interesting to read results of research led by Eyal Abraham of Bar-Ilan University and recently published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. It’s also been interesting to read comments about the study conclusions. Here are two.

As a man spends more time caring for his firstborn child, his brain responds to the rigors and pleasures of child care more and more like that of a woman who is a child's primary caregiver. ―Susannah Kay, Los Angeles Times

Whether a part-time or full-time caregiver, the father’s brains responded and activated in ways similar to the mother’s. The difference was there the neural activity occurred. The fMRI scans revealed that: The emotional processing circuits were most active in mothers. Part-time fathers in male/female relationships showed the most activity in the areas responsible for interpreting and responding to social cues. Full-time caregiving gay fathers showed activity in both regions, and even showed cross talk between those areas.  ―Amen Clinics