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Infant arousal regulation through C-Tactile afferents in the context of maternal depression

Award Number: R21HD122045
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF CHILD HEALTH AND HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 09/08/2026
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 08/31/2028

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Infant arousal regulation through C-Tactile afferents in the context of maternal depression - Summary Maternal depression is a major public health concern, impacting the health and well-being of mothers and their developing child. In particular, depression appears to disrupt early maternal care by decreasing maternal responsiveness to their child, including less touching behavior when children experience distress. In refining our understanding of the disruption to maternal responsiveness observed in depression, we focus on the potential disruption of a specific type of physical touch that activates C-tactile (CT) afferents and its impact on infant's arousal regulation. CT stroking touch (slow, gentle, dynamic touch, similar to a caress) is mediated by a specialized system of unmyelinated nerve fibers, C-tactile (CT) afferents, that elicit pleasant feelings. Despite studies showing that CT touch is a potent emotional regulator by inducing autonomic changes in infants, and the disruption to physical touch and responsiveness observed in maternal depression, no study to date has investigated whether the altered emotional responding in infants of depressed mothers may in part be underscored by disruptions to CT touch. Therefore, this R21 application seeks to directly examine whether arousal regulation by CT touch is altered in the context of maternal depression. Maternal depression will be assessed in a sample of 60 mothers and arousal regulation will be measured in their 4-6 month old infants. Specifically, changes in infant physiological (heart rate) and cortical (heart-evoked potentials) measures will be examined following the administration of CT-optimal stroking touch, non CT-optimal stroking touch, and non- stroking touch. The regulatory role of CT touch and its interplay with maternal depressive symptoms will be further examined in a neutral and distress-induced context for the infant. The implications for this work include identifying an important role for CT touch in infant arousal regulation and will set the ground for considering the importance of maternal physical touch in intervention programs working with families managing depression.


Issue Date FY	Funding FY	Legal Entity Name	Legal Entity Address	Legal Entity City	Legal Entity State	Legal Entity Zip Code	Legal Entity COUNTY	Legal Entity COUNTRY	Assistance Listing	Award Code	Budget Year	Action Date	Action Type	Action Amount

Issue Date FY: 2027 ( Subtotal = $0 )
2027	2026	YALE UNIV	150 MUNSON ST	NEW HAVEN	CT	06511	SOUTH CENTRAL CT	USA	Child Health and Human Development Extramural Research	000	1	11/2/2026	NEW	$0
														Subtotal = $0

Issue Date FY: 2026 ( Subtotal = $491,831 )
2026	2026	YALE UNIV	150 MUNSON ST	NEW HAVEN	CT	06511	SOUTH CENTRAL CT	USA	Child Health and Human Development Extramural Research	000	1	9/8/2026	NEW	$491,831
														Subtotal = $491,831

Grand Total All Awards = $491,831

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Infant arousal regulation through C-Tactile afferents in the context of maternal depression

Award Number: R21HD122045

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF CHILD HEALTH AND HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 09/08/2026

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 08/31/2028

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