Perceived Maternal Overprotection and Amygdala Functional Connectivity in Children: Implications for Childhood Depressive Symptoms.

BACKGROUND: Parenting significantly influences children's emotional well-being, but the specific nature and neural mechanisms of this influence remain unclear. This study investigated (1) the association between perceived maternal parenting and amygdala resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) in childhood and (2) whether amygdala rsFC moderates the relation between perceived maternal parenting and subsequent depressive symptoms. METHODS: A total of 220 children from the Growing Up in Singapore Towards Healthy Outcomes (GUSTO) cohort underwent resting-state fMRI at age 7.5 and assessments of perceived maternal parenting and depressive symptoms at ages 8.5-10.5 using the Children's Depression Inventory (CDI-2) and the child-reported Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI). Multiple regression analyses explored associations between maternal parenting (PBI subscales: overprotection and care) and rsFC of the whole amygdala and subnuclei. Moderation analyses evaluated whether amygdala rsFC moderated the relation between maternal parenting and subsequent depressive symptoms in children. RESULTS: Two neural pathways were identified in relation to perceived maternal overprotection. One pathway showed a positive association between the rsFC of the right (R) basolateral amygdala (BLA) and the R angular gyrus (AG) as well as the left (L) inferior parietal gyrus (IPG). The other pathway showed a negative association with the L superficial amygdala (SFA)-anterior insula (INS) rsFC. The pathway from R amygdala-AG rsFC significantly moderated the strong positive association between perceived maternal overprotection and subsequent depressive symptoms. These associations were independent of maternal depressive symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides insight into the neurobiological basis linking perceived maternal parenting to subsequent depressive symptoms. R amygdala-AG rsFC may serve as a neural marker of variability in children's responses to perceived maternal overprotection, shaping the nature of their depressive symptoms.