Individual Differences in Childhood Behavior Disorders Associated With Epigenetic Modulation of the Cortisol Receptor Gene

2015 ◽  
Vol 86 (5) ◽  
pp. 1311-1320 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark R. Dadds ◽  
Caroline Moul ◽  
David J. Hawes ◽  
Antonio Mendoza Diaz ◽  
John Brennan
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Behavior Disorders ◽  
Receptor Gene ◽  
Childhood Behavior ◽  
Epigenetic Modulation

scholarly journals Variation of the human mu-opioid receptor (OPRM1) gene predicts vulnerability to frustration

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alan M. Daniel ◽  
Brenda G. Rushing ◽  
Karla Y. Tapia Menchaca
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Animal Models ◽  
Opioid Receptor ◽  
Receptor Gene ◽  
Emotional Reaction ◽  
Mu Opioid Receptor ◽  
Reward Processing ◽  
Physical Pain ◽  
Mu Opioid ◽  
Allelic Differences

AbstractUnderstanding the emotional reaction to loss, or frustration, is a critical problem for the field of mental health. Animal models of loss have pointed to the opioid system as a nexus of frustration, physical pain, and substance abuse. However, few attempts have been made to connect the results of animal models of loss to human behavior. Allelic differences in the human mu opioid receptor gene, notably the A118G single nucleotide polymorphism, have been linked to individual differences in pain sensitivity, depressive symptoms, and reward processing. The present study explored the relationship between A118G and behavior in two frustrating tasks in humans. Results showed that carriers of the mutant G-allele were slower to recover behavior following a reward downshift and abandoned a frustrating task earlier than those without the mutation. Additionally, G-carriers were more sensitive to physical pain. These results highlight the overlap between frustration and pain, and suggest that genetic variation in opioid tone may contribute to individual differences in vulnerability and resilience following emotional disturbances.

Genetics of Childhood Behavior Disorders

1981 ◽  
pp. 331-362 ◽  
Author(s):  
David L. Pauls ◽  
Kenneth K. Kidd
Keyword(s):  
Behavior Disorders ◽  
Childhood Behavior

Childhood Behavior Disorders and Injuries Among Children and Youth: A Population-Based Study

PEDIATRICS ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 111 (2) ◽  
pp. 262-269 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. C. Brehaut ◽  
A. Miller ◽  
P. Raina ◽  
K. M. McGrail
Keyword(s):  
Behavior Disorders ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Children And Youth ◽  
Childhood Behavior ◽  
Population Based Study

scholarly journals Epigenetic tuning of brain signal entropy in emergent human social behavior

BMC Medicine ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Meghan H. Puglia ◽  
Kathleen M. Krol ◽  
Manuela Missana ◽  
Cabell L. Williams ◽  
Travis S. Lillard ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Social Behavior ◽  
Social Perception ◽  
Epigenetic Modification ◽  
Receptor Gene ◽  
Saliva Sample ◽  
Behavioral Outcomes ◽  
Infant Behavior ◽  
Oxytocin Receptor Gene ◽  
And Behavior

Abstract Background How the brain develops accurate models of the external world and generates appropriate behavioral responses is a vital question of widespread multidisciplinary interest. It is increasingly understood that brain signal variability—posited to enhance perception, facilitate flexible cognitive representations, and improve behavioral outcomes—plays an important role in neural and cognitive development. The ability to perceive, interpret, and respond to complex and dynamic social information is particularly critical for the development of adaptive learning and behavior. Social perception relies on oxytocin-regulated neural networks that emerge early in development. Methods We tested the hypothesis that individual differences in the endogenous oxytocinergic system early in life may influence social behavioral outcomes by regulating variability in brain signaling during social perception. In study 1, 55 infants provided a saliva sample at 5 months of age for analysis of individual differences in the oxytocinergic system and underwent electroencephalography (EEG) while listening to human vocalizations at 8 months of age for the assessment of brain signal variability. Infant behavior was assessed via parental report. In study 2, 60 infants provided a saliva sample and underwent EEG while viewing faces and objects and listening to human speech and water sounds at 4 months of age. Infant behavior was assessed via parental report and eye tracking. Results We show in two independent infant samples that increased brain signal entropy during social perception is in part explained by an epigenetic modification to the oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR) and accounts for significant individual differences in social behavior in the first year of life. These results are measure-, context-, and modality-specific: entropy, not standard deviation, links OXTR methylation and infant behavior; entropy evoked during social perception specifically explains social behavior only; and only entropy evoked during social auditory perception predicts infant vocalization behavior. Conclusions Demonstrating these associations in infancy is critical for elucidating the neurobiological mechanisms accounting for individual differences in cognition and behavior relevant to neurodevelopmental disorders. Our results suggest that an epigenetic modification to the oxytocin receptor gene and brain signal entropy are useful indicators of social development and may hold potential diagnostic, therapeutic, and prognostic value.

scholarly journals Specificity of the Effect of a Nicotinic Receptor Polymorphism on Individual Differences in Visuospatial Attention

2005 ◽  
Vol 17 (10) ◽  
pp. 1611-1620 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pamela M. Greenwood ◽  
John A. Fossella ◽  
Raja Parasuraman
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Nicotinic Receptor ◽  
Receptor Gene ◽  
Visuospatial Attention ◽  
Normal Variation ◽  
Domain Specific ◽  
Specific Effects ◽  
Dopamine Beta Hydroxylase ◽  
Letter Array ◽  
Search Speed

Cortical neurotransmitter availability is known to exert domain-specific effects on cognitive performance. Hence, normal variation in genes with a role in neurotransmission may also have specific effects on cognition. We tested this hypothesis by examining associations between polymorphisms in genes affecting cholinergic and noradrenergic neurotransmission and individual differences in visuospatial attention. Healthy individuals were administered a cued visual search task which varied the size of precues to the location of a target letter embedded in a 15-letter array. Cues encompassed 1, 3, 9, or 15 letters. Search speed increased linearly with precue size, indicative of a spatial attentional scaling mechanism. The strength of attentional scaling increased progressively with the number of C alleles (0, 1, or 2) of the alpha-4 nicotinic receptor gene C1545T polymorphism (n = 104). No association was found for the dopamine beta hydroxylase gene G444A polymorphism (n = 135). These findings point to the specificity of genetic neuromodulation. Whereas variation in a gene linked to cholinergic transmission systematically modulated the ability to scale the focus of visuospatial attention, variation in a gene governing dopamine availability did not. The results show that normal variation in a gene controlling a nicotinic receptor makes a selective contribution to individual differences in visuospatial attention.

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