The effects of child maltreatment and polymorphisms of the serotonin transporter and dopamine D4 receptor genes on infant attachment and intervention efficacy

2011 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 357-372 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dante Cicchetti ◽  
Fred A. Rogosch ◽  
Sheree L. Toth
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Variation ◽  
Serotonin Transporter ◽  
Attachment Security ◽  
Variable Number Tandem Repeat ◽  
Variable Number ◽  
Strange Situation ◽  
Infant Attachment ◽  
Intervention Efficacy ◽  
D4 Receptor ◽  
The Stability

AbstractThis investigation examined the extent to which polymorphisms of the serotonin transporter linked promoter region (5-HTTLPR) and the dopamine receptor D4 (DRD4) genes differentially influenced the development of attachment security and disorganization in maltreated and nonmaltreated infants at age 13 months, and the extent to which the efficacy of preventive interventions to promote attachment security were influenced by genetic variation. The sample consisted of 106 infants from maltreating families, participating in a randomized control trial evaluating the efficacy of two interventions, child–parent psychotherapy and psychoeducational parenting intervention, and 47 infants from nonmaltreating families. DNA samples were genotyped for polymorphisms of5-HTTLPR,DRD4exon III variable number tandem repeat, andDRD4-521. Attachment organization at age 1 and at age 2 was assessed with the Strange Situation for all participants, prior to and following the completion of the interventions. High rates of disorganized attachment were observed in the maltreatment compared to the nonmaltreatment group, and both interventions resulted in increased rates of attachment security at age 2. Genetic variation did not influence improvement in attachment organization among maltreated infants. Among maltreated infants, genetic variation had minimal effect on attachment organization. In contrast, among nonmaltreated infants,5-HTTLPRandDRD4polymorphisms influenced attachment security and disorganization at age 2 and the stability of attachment disorganization over time.

DRD4 polymorphism predicts the effect of L-DOPA on gambling behaviour

2011 ◽  
Vol 26 (S2) ◽  
pp. 1049-1049
Author(s):  
C. Eisenegger ◽  
D. Knoch ◽  
R.P. Ebstein ◽  
L.R.R. Gianotti ◽  
P.S. Sándor ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pathological Gambling ◽  
Receptor Gene ◽  
Variable Number Tandem Repeat ◽  
Variable Number ◽  
Gambling Behaviour ◽  
Addictive Disorders ◽  
D4 Receptor ◽  
Challenging Question ◽  
Dopaminergic Stimulation ◽  
Dopamine Modulation

A challenging question in the fields of neuroscience and addiction research is why some individuals are more vulnerable than others to addictive disorders. Pharmacogenetic studies investigating how genetic variation leads to differential drug response offer a way to unravel this mystery.In recent years, impulse control disorders, in particular pathological gambling, have been described in Parkinson's patients; these problems are most likely associated with dopaminergic treatment. Interestingly, only a subgroup of Parkinson's patients develops pathological gambling, raising the question whether there might be an interaction between genetic predisposition and dopaminergic drug administration. By applying a pharmacogenetic approach in 200 healthy subjects, we observed a differential effect of dopaminergic stimulation using 300 mg of L-DOPA on gambling behaviour, depending on variation in the dopamine D4 receptor gene. Carriers of the 7 repeats allele of the DRD4 exon III variable number tandem repeat polymorphism show an increased propensity to gamble after dopamine modulation. These findings may have implications for the dopaminergic treatment of Parkinson's disease patients by offering a genotype approach for determining individual susceptibilities for pathological gambling. They may also afford insights into the vulnerability mechanisms underlying addictive behaviour.

Major depression as a predictor of the intergenerational transmission of attachment security: Findings from a pregnancy cohort study

2021 ◽  
pp. 000486742110607
Author(s):  
Megan Galbally ◽  
Stuart J Watson ◽  
Anne Tharner ◽  
Maartje Luijk ◽  
Gaynor Blankley ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Major Depression ◽  
Adult Attachment ◽  
Attachment Security ◽  
Maternal Sensitivity ◽  
Adult Attachment Interview ◽  
Insecure Attachment ◽  
Parent Attachment ◽  
Strange Situation ◽  
Infant Attachment ◽  
Strange Situation Procedure

Objective: Understanding the relationship between attachment and mental health has an important role in informing management of perinatal mental disorders and for infant mental health. It has been suggested that experiences of attachment are transmitted from one generation to the next. Maternal sensitivity has been proposed as a mediator, although findings have not been as strong as hypothesised. A meta-analysis suggested that this intergenerational transmission of attachment may vary across populations with lower concordance between parent and infant attachment classifications in clinical compared to community samples. However, no previous study has examined major depression and adult attachment in pregnancy as predictors of infant–parent attachment classification at 12 months postpartum. Methods: Data were obtained on 52 first-time mothers recruited in early pregnancy, which included 22 women who met diagnostic criteria for current major depression using the Structured Clinical Interview for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. The Adult Attachment Interview was also administered before 20 weeks of pregnancy. A history of early trauma was measured using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire and maternal sensitivity was measured at 6 months postpartum using the observational measure of the Emotional Availability Scales. Infant–parent attachment was measured using the Strange Situation Procedure at 12 months. Results: Overall, we found no significant association between the Adult Attachment Interview and the Strange Situation Procedure classifications. However, a combination of maternal non-autonomous attachment on the Adult Attachment Interview and major depression was a significant predictor of insecure attachment on the Strange Situation Procedure. We did not find that maternal sensitivity mediated parental and infant attachment security in this sample. Conclusion: While previous meta-analyses identified lower concordance in clinical samples, our findings suggest women with major depression and non-autonomous attachment have a greater concordance with insecure attachment on the Strange Situation Procedure. These findings can guide future research and suggest a focus on depression in pregnancy may be important for subsequent infant attachment.

Investigation of a genetic variation of a variable number tandem repeat polymorphism of interleukin-6 gene in patients with multiple sclerosis

2003 ◽  
Vol 250 (5) ◽  
pp. 607-611 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephan Schmidt ◽  
Andreas Papassotiropoulos ◽  
Stefano Sotgiu ◽  
Heike K�lsch ◽  
Giannina Arru ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
Genetic Variation ◽  
Tandem Repeat ◽  
Interleukin 6 ◽  
Variable Number Tandem Repeat ◽  
Variable Number ◽  
Repeat Polymorphism ◽  
Tandem Repeat Polymorphism

scholarly journals Isolation and Molecular Characterization ofBrucellaIsolates in Cattle Milk in Uganda

2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Denis Rwabiita Mugizi ◽  
Shaman Muradrasoli ◽  
Sofia Boqvist ◽  
Joseph Erume ◽  
George William Nasinyama ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Genetic Variation ◽  
Brucella Abortus ◽  
Variable Number Tandem Repeat ◽  
Variable Number ◽  
Infected Cattle ◽  
Milk Samples ◽  
Molecular Approaches ◽  
Epidemiological Tool ◽  
The World

Brucellosis is endemic in livestock and humans in Uganda and its transmission involves a multitude of risk factors like consumption of milk from infected cattle. To shed new light on the epidemiology of brucellosis in Uganda the present study used phenotypic and molecular approaches to delineate theBrucellaspecies, biovars, and genotypes shed in cattle milk.Brucella abortuswithout a biovar designation was isolated from eleven out of 207 milk samples from cattle in Uganda. These isolates had a genomic monomorphism at 16 variable number tandem repeat (VNTR) loci and showed in turn high levels of genetic variation when compared with other African strains or otherB. abortusbiovars from other parts of the world. This study further highlights the usefulness of MLVA as an epidemiological tool for investigation ofBrucellainfections.

Serotonin transporter gene polymorphisms may be associated with poststroke neurological recovery after escitalopram use

2017 ◽  
Vol 89 (3) ◽  
pp. 271-276 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eun-Jae Lee ◽  
Mi-Sun Oh ◽  
Jong S Kim ◽  
Dae-Il Chang ◽  
Jong-Ho Park ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Serotonin Transporter ◽  
Gene Polymorphisms ◽  
Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors ◽  
Variable Number Tandem Repeat ◽  
Variable Number ◽  
Neurological Function ◽  
Neurological Recovery ◽  
Double Blind ◽  
Post Hoc

ObjectiveSelective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) putatively improve neurological recovery after stroke. We aimed to investigate whether serotonin transporter (SERT) gene polymorphisms are related to the responsiveness to SSRIs in the poststroke neurological recovery.MethodsThis was a post hoc analysis of the EMOTION study (ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01278498), a randomised, placebo-controlled, double-blind trial examining the efficacy of escitalopram on emotional and neurological disturbances after acute stroke. Patients with no/minimal disability initially (modified Rankin Scale (mRS) 0–1) were excluded. Of the participants, 301 underwent genetic studies of the STin2 (a variable number tandem repeat (VNTR) in intron 2) (STin2 12/10 and STin2 12/12 genotypes) and 5-HTTLPR (a variable-length repeat in the promoter region) polymorphisms of SERT. We explored whether neurological function (National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score and mRS) at 3 months would differ according to SERT polymorphisms within each treatment arm (escitalopram and placebo).ResultsAmong the escitalopram users (n=159), neurological function in subjects with STin2 12/10 (n=29) improved significantly more than that in STin2 12/12 carriers (n=130) at 3 months. After adjusting for age, initial NIHSS and depression, STin2 12/10 independently predicted a good clinical outcome (mRS 0–1) (OR 2.99, 95% CI 1.04 to 8.58) at 3 months. However, differences between STin2 polymorphisms were not shown in the placebo group (n=142). 5-HTTLPR polymorphisms were not associated with neurological recovery in any treatment group.ConclusionSTin2 VNTR polymorphisms may be associated with poststroke neurological recovery after SSRI therapy. Further studies are needed to identify the role of serotonin in neurological recovery after stroke.

Emotional and adrenocortical regulation in early adolescence

2014 ◽  
Vol 38 (2) ◽  
pp. 142-154 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gottfried Spangler ◽  
Peter Zimmermann
Keyword(s):  
Early Adolescence ◽  
Emotional Regulation ◽  
Attachment Security ◽  
Computer Game ◽  
Social Regulation ◽  
Social Emotional ◽  
Strange Situation ◽  
Infant Attachment ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Attachment Disorganization

The aim of the present study was to examine differences in emotion expression and emotion regulation in emotion-eliciting situations in early adolescence from a bio-psycho-social perspective, specifically investigating the influence of early mother-infant attachment and attachment disorganization on behavioural and adrenocortical responses. The sample consisted of 96 children of the Regensburg Longitudinal Study IV. At age 12 months, attachment security and disorganization were assessed in the Strange Situation. At age 12 years, the adolescents were observed together with their mother during a computer game (eliciting anger) and the “Talk Show Task” (eliciting fear). Analyses included self-ratings and mother-ratings of the adolescents’ emotions (anger and fear), observations of the adolescents’ emotional expression and emotional regulation (social regulation, effective regulation) as well as concurrent maternal emotional support. In addition, adrenocortical activity was assessed from saliva samples before and after observation. The findings revealed different patterns of social-emotional responses depending on early attachment security. Adolescents with secure infant attachment reported more anger, when anger was induced, were rated as less anxious by their mothers, and their emotion self-ratings were more similar to their mothers’ ratings compared to adolescents with an early insecure attachment. An increased adrenocortical response was only found in the group of adolescents with attachment disorganization in infancy, especially with increased fear.

scholarly journals Parent–Infant Attachment Insecurity and Emotional Eating in Adolescence: Mediation through Emotion Suppression and Alexithymia

Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 1662
Author(s):  
Roseriet Beijers ◽  
Marta Miragall ◽  
Yvonne van den Berg ◽  
Hanna Konttinen ◽  
Tatjana van Strien
Keyword(s):  
Emotional Eating ◽  
Attachment Security ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Attachment Insecurity ◽  
Strange Situation ◽  
Infant Attachment ◽  
Parental Caregiving ◽  
Emotion Regulation Strategy ◽  
Early Parent ◽  
Caregiving Quality

Emotional eating (EE), the propensity to eat in response to emotions, is thought to have its origins in the early parent–infant relationship. This study tested the hypothesis that infant attachment insecurity results in EE in adolescence through the increased use of the emotion regulation strategy suppression of emotions and subsequent alexithymia. At the age of 15 months, parent–infant attachment security (n = 129) was observed with two abbreviated attachment measures: the shortened strange situation procedure (SSSP), and the shortened attachment Q-set (S-AQS). At the age of 12 years, children completed self-report questionnaires to assess the suppression of emotions, alexithymia, and EE. At the age of 16 years, EE was measured again. The mediation models indicated that lower parent–infant attachment security predicted increased use of suppression of emotions, which was related to increased alexithymia, and in turn more EE at the age of 12 years. These results were similar and significant for both attachment measures, and also (marginal) significant with EE at the age of 16 years as an outcome. Lastly, when parental caregiving quality was included, the models with the SSSP as predictor remained significant, but the models with the S-AQS became insignificant. These results indicated that to a certain extent, infant attachment security could predict adolescent EE above and beyond parental caregiving quality.

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