On the Œdipus complex , 1

Taking into account notable recent neuroimaging researches, it is possible to infer some first simple remarks which would suggest possible neurological bases to that fundamental psychoanalytic assumption which is the Freudian Œdipus complex. The following first very brief sketch has been just thought to simply highlight this fact. This very brief note is concerned with remarkable recent neurological researches, namely the works (Bartels & Zeki, 2000, 2004) and (Zeki, 2007), which are centered on the possible neural correlates of maternal and romantic love. Starting from this, our intention would be oriented toward the search for as many possible neurological basis of the well known Œdipus complex in the Freudian sense, above all, for boys. Indeed, according to these authors, «the tender intimacy and selflessness of a mother’s love for her infant occupies a unique and exalted position in human conduct. Like romantic love, to which it is closely linked, it provides one of the most powerful motivations for human action, and has been celebrated throughout the ages – in literature, art and music – as one of the most beautiful and inspiring manifestations of human behaviour. It has also been the subject of many psychological studies that have searched into the long-lasting and pervasive influence of this love (or its absence) on the development and future mental constitution of a child [...]. Yet little is known of brain areas and pathways that correlate with this extraordinary affective state in the human. In pursuing our studies of the neurological foundations of love (Bartels & Zeki, 2000), we therefore thought it worthwhile to turn our attention next to maternal love. Maternal and romantic love share a common and crucial evolutionary purpose, namely the maintenance and perpetuation of the species. Both ensure the formation of firm bonds between individuals, by making this behaviour a rewarding experience. They therefore share a similar evolutionary origin and serve a similar biological function. It is likely that they also share at least a core of common neural mechanisms. Neuroendocrine, cellular and behavioural studies of various mammalian species ranging from rodents to primates show that the neurohormones vasopressin and oxytocin are involved in the formation and maintenance of attachment between individuals, and suggest a tight coupling between attachment processes and the neural systems for reward [...]. This is confirmed by lesion, gene expression and behavioural studies in mammals [...]. Interestingly, the same neurohormones are involved in the attachment between mother and child (in both directions) and in the long-term pair bonding between adults, although each neurohormone may have distinct binding sites and may be gender specific [...]. Such similarities, as well as the obvious differences between the two kinds of love, lead one to expect a neural architecture that differs between the two modes of love in some respects and yet is identical in others». The authors, Bartels and Zeki, after a long and in-depth neurological discussion of their experimental results, conclude saying as follows. «This study complements our earlier one (Bartels and Zeki, 2000) and shows that (i) romantic and maternal love both involve a unique and overlapping set of areas, as well as areas that are specific ha l-0 08 42 06 7, v er si on 1 6 Ju l 2 01 3