Care of infants is a hallmark of mammals. Whereas parental care by mothers is obligatory for offspring survival in virtually all mammals, fathers provide care for their offspring in only an estimated 5%–10% of genera. In these species, the transition into fatherhood is often accompanied by pronounced changes in males’ behavioral responses to young, including a reduction in aggression toward infants and an increase in nurturant behavior. The onset of fatherhood can also be associated with sensory, affective, and cognitive changes. The neuroplasticity that mediates these changes is not well understood; however, fatherhood can alter the production and survival of new neurons; function and structure of existing neurons; morphology of brain structures; and neuroendocrine signaling systems. Although these changes are thought to promote infant care by fathers, very little evidence exists to support this hypothesis; in most cases, neither the mechanisms underlying neuroplasticity in fathers nor its functional significance is known. In this paper, we review the available data on the neuroplasticity that occurs during the transition into fatherhood. We highlight gaps in our knowledge and future directions that will provide key insights into how and why fatherhood alters the structure and functioning of the male brain.

中文翻译：

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父亲大脑的可塑性：父亲身份对神经结构和功能的影响


照顾婴儿是哺乳动物的一个特点。尽管几乎所有哺乳动物都必须由母亲进行父母照顾，以保证后代的生存，但在大约 5%–10% 的哺乳动物中，父亲为后代提供照顾。在这些物种中，向父亲的转变往往伴随着雄性对幼崽的行为反应的显着变化，包括对婴儿的攻击性减少和养育行为增加。父亲身份的开始也可能与感觉、情感和认知的变化有关。介导这些变化的神经可塑性尚不清楚。然而，父亲身份可以改变新神经元的产生和存活；现有神经元的功能和结构；大脑结构的形态；和神经内分泌信号系统。尽管这些变化被认为可以促进父亲对婴儿的照顾，但很少有证据支持这一假设。在大多数情况下，父亲神经可塑性的潜在机制及其功能意义尚不清楚。在本文中，我们回顾了关于过渡为父亲期间发生的神经可塑性的可用数据。我们强调了我们的知识差距和未来方向，这将为了解父亲身份如何以及为何改变男性大脑的结构和功能提供关键见解。