Paloma Maldonado Rojas

Host: Valeria Gazzola e-mail: v.gazzola@nin.knaw.nl
Research group: Social Brain Lab.
The NIN Speaker: Paloma Maldonado Rojas Nederlands Herseninstituut

Title: Early moments matter: how caregiver–infant interaction shapes the developing brain.

Abstract:
There is no doubt: the relationship between an infant and their primary caregiver is essential for healthy brain development. Much of what we know about the importance of caregiving comes from studies on early adversity—abuse, separation, neglect—which clearly show how deeply caregiving shapes a child’s developmental path. But while the importance of this bond is well established, we still know surprisingly little about how the everyday interactions with caregivers influence the developing brain. What exactly happens during those early interactions that makes them so critical?
My approach focuses specifically on the sensory–motor components embedded in mother– infant interactions—touch, movement, voice, timing, eye contact, and proximity. These
everyday signals are not just expressions of care; they are structured forms of biological input that help organize the infant brain. They actively shape how a baby’s sensor-motor
systems develop. And this, in my opinion, is the “entry point” for understanding how early interactions influence the developing brain more broadly. In this talk, I will present a set of cross-species studies showing how variation in early sensory–motor caregiving input relates to later social and cognitive function. Within an attachment-theory framework, these studies combine mouse pup and human infant research using complementary methods, including behavioral analysis, vocalization measures, calcium imaging, patch-clamp and EEG recordings. There is no formula—no single book, no checklist, no method that works for every child. Parenting is inherently complex, and part of my work is to understand that complexity and to clarify how early relational experience becomes embedded in the developing brain.