The Habenula: Unlocking the Secrets of Maternal Love

This article was originally published on Forbes.com.

As I spent time with my mother at my daughter’s graduation this past Mother’s Day, I reflected on my journey as the child of a mother who has battled PTSD and depression.

An American Indian boarding school survivor, a miracle unto itself, my mother had battled with her mental health for my whole life, causing her to be somewhat emotionally unavailable for my needs. It certainly wasn’t her “fault.” She simply wasn’t capable; her mental health was such that she couldn’t often support me or my activities. This left me feeling worthlessness and self-blame, which impacted my emotional development.

As a child, I couldn’t comprehend the depths of my mother’s struggles, but I felt the weight of her emotional absence. It shaped the way I viewed myself and the world around me. In light of my own story, I am driven by a desire to understand the complexities of maternal love and its impact on children.

Some groundbreaking research could reshape how we understand and support mothers.

The Habenula: A Master Switch for Motivation and Mood

Researchers have recently discovered that the inclination to nurture and care for their pups after birth was severely disrupted by impairing a tiny brain region called the (lateral) habenula in pregnant mice.

The habenula is nestled deep within the midbrain. and it is emerging as a master controller of behavior. When dysfunctional, it now appears that it can derail the biological wiring that compels a new mother to attend to her offspring’s needs. Love for their children may remain, but the habenula’s impairment leaves the mother physiologically demotivated to act on those feelings.

The habenula’s influence extends far beyond maternal behavior. This intricate brain region wields remarkable power over motivation, mood, and overall well-being. Its intricate circuitry has been recently found to drive conditions like depression, anxiety, and other emotional disorders that can profoundly affect our quality of life and relationships.

Fifteen percent of new mothers experience postpartum depression. Up to a third of all mothers experience depression. In the world of maternal depression or other areas where females may not be inclined to mother, a non-functioning habenula is a big problem.

A clearer understanding of the habenula’s role and influence sets the stage for a paradigm shift in how we perceive and support mothers struggling with mental health challenges—a window into the complex interplay between brain function, behavior, and maternal love. This novel research provides a call to action to replace judgment or self-blame with compassion and understanding.

As someone who experienced the other side of this dynamic firsthand, these insights fill me with equal parts relief and hope. Relief at understanding there are biological underpinnings to my mother’s struggles that had nothing to do with me. And hope that continued habenula research could lead to novel therapies and treatments to help realign this critical brain region, restoring maternal motivation and nurturing instincts.

Healing the Mother Wound

For many, the scars of a mother’s emotional absence run deep, leaving lasting imprints on a child’s sense of worth and self-esteem. It’s natural for a young child to internalize their mother’s behaviors as their own problem, experiences that can have a profound impact when seeking to heal and release feelings of self-blame. This new research shows one way to understand it, with compassion and a better sense of how to help the child find a way out of any sort of self-blame.

For any child who endured a mother’s emotional distance or for adults still carrying the “mother wound” of feeling unworthy of love, this is a welcome and healing perspective. You were always deserving—there were simply complex neural forces at play.

Rewiring the Future of Motherhood

These new habenula studies offer a flare of hope, with transformative potential for the field of maternal mental health to explore new treatments that can reshape the landscape of motherhood, empowering mothers and children to thrive individually and, more importantly, together.

As the habenula’s full influence and therapeutic potential come into focus, it offers not just hope for future generations but a path toward healing for those still carrying the emotional scars of a mother’s depression, anxiety, or PTSD. A chance to release self-blame, rediscover their inherent worth, and forge deeper mutual understanding across generations.

As for my own mother, she recently underwent a round of psychedelic-assisted therapy that has healed her psychological burdens greatly. We now enjoy a renewed sense of connection and love that was previously blocked by her mental health struggles. I wish for all families to find such relief.

Every child deserves to experience the full warmth of a mother’s love. Every mother deserves the support and compassion to be able to provide that care, unencumbered by the physiological tides that may be weighing her down. With this scientific breakthrough, the path to making that aspiration a reality grows brighter.

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