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Lone but Lioness mothers in the face of parenting challenges – A Resting-State fMRI Study

Poster No:

1432

Submission Type:

Abstract Submission

Authors:

Ashwag Alruwaili¹, Sumyah Alnajashi², Waad Alanazi²

Institutions:

¹King Saud University, Riyadh, Ryiadh, ²King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

First Author:

Ashwag Alruwaili, ARA
King Saud University
Riyadh, Ryiadh

Co-Author(s):

Sumyah Alnajashi
King Saud University
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Waad Alanazi
King Saud University
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Introduction:

Motherhood introduces extreme physiological, hormonal, and psychological changes that affect brain function. However, the impact on brain connectivity in lone mothers, who experience unique stressors, is never investigated. Resting-state fMRI (rs-fMRI) provides insights into how these challenges influence neural organization.
Objective: The current study seeks to investigate changes in resting-state brain connectivity in lone mothers correlated with psychological factors.

Methods:

A total of 30 healthy right-handed women, 15 lone mothers and 15 matched married mothers (Table 1), were recruited and scanned with high-resolution 3D T1-weighted sequence and resting-state fMRI on a 3T scanner. Seed-based (ROI-to-ROI) connectivity analysis was selected to explore connectivity differences in selected network. We evaluated quality of life and personal growth, incorporating additional psychological assessments to provide a comprehensive analysis to evaluate cognitive and emotional functions. These included tasks measuring behavioral inhibition (Stroop and Flanker tasks), working memory (Corsi Block Tapping and Digit Updating), emotional states (DASS-21), with all instruments translated and validated for Arabic-speaking participants.
Table 1: Demographic Information.
DEMOGRAPHICS INFORMATION MARRIED MOTHER LONE MOTHER
NUMBER 15 15
AGE Mean=34.5
SD=6.41 Mean=35.1
SD=5.75
SMOKER: NON-SMOKER 2:13 1:14
DRUG/SUPPLEMENTS 6 3
EDUCATION:
*H:B:P
4:6:5
4:7:4

EMPLOYED 8 13
*HIGH SCHOOL (H), BACHELOR (B), POSTGRADUATE (P)

Results:

Preliminary MRI results showed a trend in lone mothers towards increased connectivity between specific brain regions (Figure 1), including the left and right Lateral parietal within Default Mode Network (DMN.LP) and the right and left intraparietal sulcus within Dorsal Attention Network (DAN.IPS). Conversely, decreased connectivity was observed between the right frontal eye field within Dorsal Attention Network (DAN.FEF) and right posterior para-hippocampal region. Psychological assessments revealed no significant differences in cognitive performance or levels of depression, stress, or anxiety, except that lone mothers reported higher personal growth scores.

·Increased connectivity in brain networks; A) left DAN.IPS and right DMN.LP , B) left DAN.IPS and left DMN.LP and C) left DMN.LP and right DAN.IPS. While Decreased connectivity was observed in D) rig

Conclusions:

Although our findings did not hold after correction for multiple comparisons, this pilot yet pioneering study opens a unique perspective on a new field of research, suggesting potential neural signatures distinctive to lone mothers. The observed increase in connectivity between contralateral DMN and DAN subregions is noteworthy. Factors such as
hemispheric specialization, integration, resource balancing, and anatomical pathways may contribute to this distinct connectivity between such networks. And it is quite possible that these interhemispheric coupling patterns are indeed functional as they allow execution of complex tasks such as thinking and making decisions about the future using a larger range of neural resources. The enhanced connectivity between these regions in lone mothers leads us to question whether it facilitates their ability to make sound decisions regarding future planning. The assumption of increased rational decision-making and future-oriented thinking align with our psychological assessment results, which revealed significant differences between groups where lone mothers scored higher in personal growth compared to married mothers. Conclusion: Although these findings should be interpreted cautiously, lone mothers may exhibit neural adaptations linked to the demands of their caregiving roles, which could potentially reflect aspects of resilience. With MRI and other complementary approaches, findings could guide the development of targeted interventions aimed at empowerment, resilience, and overall well-being.

Higher Cognitive Functions:

Decision Making

Executive Function, Cognitive Control and Decision Making ²

Reasoning and Problem Solving

Modeling and Analysis Methods:

Connectivity (eg. functional, effective, structural)

fMRI Connectivity and Network Modeling ¹

Keywords:

Cognition

FUNCTIONAL MRI

NORMAL HUMAN

^1|2Indicates the priority used for review

Abstract Information

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Please indicate below if your study was a "resting state" or "task-activation” study.

Resting state

Healthy subjects only or patients (note that patient studies may also involve healthy subjects):

Healthy subjects

Was this research conducted in the United States?

Were any human subjects research approved by the relevant Institutional Review Board or ethics panel? NOTE: Any human subjects studies without IRB approval will be automatically rejected.

Yes

Were any animal research approved by the relevant IACUC or other animal research panel? NOTE: Any animal studies without IACUC approval will be automatically rejected.

Not applicable

Please indicate which methods were used in your research:

Functional MRI

Neuropsychological testing

For human MRI, what field strength scanner do you use?

3.0T

Provide references using APA citation style.

Not applicable

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I attest that I currently live, work, or study in a country on the UNESCO Institute of Statistics and World Bank List of Low and Middle Income Countries list provided.