The Laboratory for Darwinian Neuroscience is conducting a 17-month long study comprised of five visits to determine if and when men experience biological changes as they become fathers for the first time.
Qualifying criteria for the study:
- Males aged 20-45 years old and currently expecting his first child
- In a heterosexual relationship and lives with his female partner
- Female partner is currently less than or around 16 weeks pregnant
- Not caring for any other children or elderly in the home
- No history of neurological disorders, alcohol and substance use disorders, and psychiatric illnesses
At each visit we collect a saliva sample, perform a blood draw, measure BMI and ask participants to complete an online survey. Over the course of the study we will track cortisol, testosterone, vasopressin, and oxytocin to observe any hormone fluctuations over time. Additionally, we will be tracking DNA methylation within genes that code for oxytocin, vasopressin, and androgen receptors, as well as the oxytocin and vasopressin themselves (OXTR, AVPR1a, AR, OT, AVP).
At three of the timepoints participants complete a decision making task while completing a 30-minute MRI scan.
The overall goal of this project is to determine if and when human males experience changes in oxytocin, vasopressin and androgen systems, as well as changes in brain structure and function, during their transition to fatherhood, and whether these changes are correlated with the extent to which fathers become involved, attached caregivers.
