Study: Neurotransmitter Dopamine Plays Role in Human Bonding

“Animal studies have shown the role of dopamine in bonding but this was the first scientific evidence that it is involved in human bonding,” said Northeastern University Professor Lisa Feldman Barrett, corresponding author of the study.
For the study, Prof. Barrett and her colleagues from the United States and Israel recruited 19 mother-infant pairs.
“The infant brain is very different from the mature adult brain — it is not fully formed,” Prof. Barrett said.
To conduct the study, the team used a machine capable of performing two types of brain scans simultaneously: functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and positron emission tomography (PET).
The scientists focused on dopamine, a chemical that acts in various brain systems to spark the motivation necessary to work for a reward.
“We found that social affiliation is a potent stimulator of dopamine. This link implies that strong social relationships have the potential to improve your outcome if you have a disease, such as depression, where dopamine is compromised,” Prof. Barrett explained.
Before performing the scans, the authors videotaped the mothers at home interacting with their babies and applied measurements to the behaviors of both to ascertain their degree of synchrony. They also videotaped the infants playing on their own.
“Our data indicate that dopamine is involved in human bonding,” the researchers said.
“Compared with other mammals, humans have an unusually complex social life. The complexity of human bonding cannot be fully captured in nonhuman animal models, particularly in pathological bonding, such as that in autistic spectrum disorder or postpartum depression.”
“Thus, investigations of the neurochemistry of social bonding in humans, for which this study provides initial evidence, are warranted.”

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