Mother-Child Mutuality Predicts Dacc and Vmpfc Activity When Children Observe Mother’s Emotions in Middle Childhood

Children (N = 33) who had lower levels of mutuality with their mothers had larger increases in activity in regions associated with integrating social information (dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, dACC) and regulating emotions (ventral medial prefrontal cortex, vmPFC) when they observed their mother’s emotions.