KVA-JSPS Seminar: Dr. Kumi O Kuroda

Dr. Kumi O Kuroda, School of Life Science and Technology, Institute of Science Tokyo, Japan

Abstract: Mammalian infants are born immature and dependent on parental care. The parents' brains have evolved to develop the caregiving neural circuits centered in the medial preoptic area of the basal forebrain. Infants also exhibit innate attachment behaviors, such as signaling toward and following the primary caregiver selectively. Good-enough parenting is crucial for infants' survival and mental well-being throughout life. Yet child maltreatment remains pervasive, even in modern societies. Basic science and science-informed technologies are much needed to better address parenting stress and adverse childhood experiences. Today I would like to introduce some of our recent studies on this topic, including SciBaby, a wearable technology that uses an infant's Transport Response to parental carrying to soothe infant crying and promote sleep.

Kuroda KO et al, 2024. Parental brain through time: The origin and development of the neural circuit of mammalian parenting. Annals of the N Y Acad Sci, 1534, 24–44
Ohmura N et al, 2022: A method to soothe and promote sleep in crying infants utilizing the Transport Response, Current Biology, 32(20), 4521-4529.e4

Dr. Kuroda’s lecture is made possible through the generous support of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Sciences and The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.