Neuroscience of Human Attachment

177.2K

views

76

authors

16

articles

Neuroscience of Human Attachment

177.2K

views

76

authors

16

articles

Editorial

24 March 2017

Editorial: Neuroscience of Human Attachment

Anna Buchheim

,

Carol George

,

Harald Gündel

and

Roberto Viviani

12,250 views

23 citations

Editors

4

Anna Buchheim

University of Innsbruck

Carol George

Mills College

Harald Gündel

Klinik für Psychosomatische Medizin und Psychotherapie, Universitätsklinikum Ulm

Roberto Viviani

University of Innsbruck

Impact

About

Attachment is a biological emotion regulation-based system guiding cognitive and emotional processes with respect to intimate and significant relationships. Adverse attachment experiences like maltreatment, loss, and separation have long been known to have enduring consequences on human mental health. Research on the neurobiological basis of attachment started with animal studies focusing on emotional deprivation and its behavioral, molecular, and endocrine consequences.

More recently, the neurobiological basis of attachment in humans has been investigated using an array of different methodologies (fMRI, EEG, genetics, endocrinological probes, pharmacological manipulation using e.g., oxytocin). These studies have investigated attachment in relation to a range of other behavioral systems and developmental dimensions. For example, behavioral attachment systems such as caregiving, sexual, affiliative, as well as mentalization, and attachment representations. Most of these studies have focused on healthy populations, but recently there have been several attempts to shed light on the neural correlates of attachment processes in pathology.

In this Research Topic, we welcome original research and critical reviews that address issues in the neurobiological domain of any aspect of attachment highlight promising avenues for basic research related to developmental psychopathology or the translation of attachment studies into the clinical setting. In this way, we aim to achieve an interdisciplinary synthesis of existing knowledge and new perspectives on attachment, which may be fruitful to develop preventive and psychotherapeutic intervention.

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Editors

Anna Buchheim

University of Innsbruck

Carol George

Mills College

Harald Gündel

Klinik für Psychosomatische Medizin und Psychotherapie, Universitätsklinikum Ulm

Roberto Viviani

University of Innsbruck

Impact

177,170 Total views

131,671 Article views

28,266 Article downloads

17,233 Topic views

Published In

Frontiers in Human Neuroscience

Cognitive Neuroscience, Brain Health and Clinical Neuroscience, Sensory Neuroscience

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