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By Liz Szabo, USA TODAY
The soft, round cheeks. The dimpled hands that clutch at your finger. The sweet, warm smell of their heads.
Most mothers agree that the sight of their babies can be intoxicating, or even addictive. A new study explains the neurological roots of maternal bonding — and may help doctors understand what can sometimes hinder that attachment.
ON THE WEB: Read the 'Pediatrics' study abstract
In a study of 28 first-time moms, seeing pictures of their babies' smiles activated parts of the brain involved in rewarding certain behaviors — such as finding food, water or a mate — that are vital to the species' survival, says co-author P. Read Montague, a neuroscientist at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. FIND MORE STORIES IN: Houston | Baylor College of Medicine | University of California-San Francisco | Louann Brizendine
These regions of the brain are associated with a signaling hormone called dopamine, Montague says. Mothers looking at their babies smile experience a surge of dopamine — the same chemical rush that occurs when people use cocaine or nicotine. The study helps explain how the brain fosters maternal devotion — and how mothering skills have been passed down through the generations, Montague says. "This is the mechanism by which you come to be consumed by your baby," Montague says. "All good mothers are addicted to their newborn babies. They will do things above and beyond the call of duty." Drugs appears to hijack these ancient signaling systems in the brain, making addicts value cocaine or other substances as if they were essential to life, says Lane Strathearn, an assistant professor of pediatrics and co-author of the article, published today in Pediatrics. In the new study, researchers used functional MRI, or magnetic resonance imaging, to observe the mothers' reactions to their 7-month-old infants. About half the women were breastfeeding. Strathearn says he hopes his study may help doctors find a way to help women who fail to bond with their babies. Drug-addicted mothers may not develop normal bonds because other chemicals are providing the reward that should come from nurturing their children, Strathearn says. The brains of women who were abused or neglected as children may be less responsive to stimulation, so that mothering doesn't feel as rewarding as it should. The study may also shed light on postpartum depression, which affects one in 10 new mothers, says Louann Brizendine, a neuropsychiatrist at the University of California-San Francisco who was not involved in the study. In depressed women, dopamine levels may be too low for women to respond to their babies, Brizendine says. Antidepressants, which replenish dopamine levels, often help these women.
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Comments: (27) Showing: 
57girl wrote:
5h 12m ago
A
baby's smile is the face of innocence ... thus I think where the joy is
derived from. There is no little innocence in the adult world. Treasure
those smiles while you can.
GriffeyB 8 wrote:
5h 49m ago
deathcab wrote: 15h 21m ago
If only seeing me in my underwear gave her that same high. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Hilarious... and unfortunately true. 
lewissalem wrote:
5h 52m ago
It's true. I'm a new dad of twins, and when your child smiles at you, there's nothing like it.
STLman1 wrote:
5h 59m ago
HEADLINE
"Babies are cute and you'd have to be a maniac to not care A LITTLE for one!" NEWS AT 11 Let's research old people and cure death. 
bluebird48 wrote:
7h 5m ago
USA...I think this little guy should be a on your front page everyday!!! Makes my day!!! Thanks!
starcrzd wrote:
15h 15m ago
"Rudy"
I think you are confusing the mom with the first time dad, being ever pouty because he is not the center of his universe anymore.
rudolph schmidt wrote:
16h 9m ago
Wow,
once again a waste-of-time, waste-of-money "study" enlightens us with
-- get ready for this!!! -- the fact that moms like to see their babies
smile. WOW.
I think an actual, worthwhile study would be to study this myth disease of "postpartum depression," which is nothing more than new moms moping around because they are no longer the center of attention now that "baby" is here, and nobody is doting on their every complaint of sore feet or an aching back or a taste for a tub of ice cream.
kht wrote:
18h 56m ago
Uh
oh this isn't good. Now some politician is going to read this and be
outraged. After all, we can't have mothers running around being high
every time their baby smiles. Imagine if they seen their baby smile
while driving! They could kill someone!
Something has to be done about this, we simply can't have mothers getting high off of something that isn't produced by a pharmacuetical company. 
nightswimmer wrote:
21h 42m ago
It would be interesting to see a similar study on fathers, including fathers-to-be.
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