The Impact of Early Life Stress on the Genetic Influence on Brain and Cognitive Development in Children

Early life stress (ELS), such as abuse, neglect, and maltreatment, is a well-known risk factor for mental illness. However, it is unclear how ELS affects the brain and cognitive development. Identifying specific relationships of ELS with the genetic and brain-related underpinnings of cognitive development may reveal biological mechanisms responsible for the negative impact of ELS and those that lead to individual differences in sensitivity (or resilience) to ELS. In this study, to investigate the interlinked processes of cognitive development, we analyzed the multimodal data of DNA genotypes, brain imaging (MRI), and neuropsychological assessment (NIH Toolbox) outcomes of 4,276 children (ages 9 to 10 years, European ancestry) from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study. We estimated the genetic influence on cognitive capacity using genome-wide polygenic scores (GPSs). Our regression and mediation analyses revealed significant causal relationships for the gene-brain-cognition pathway: Brain structural development significantly mediated the genetic influence on cognitive development (partial mediation effect = 0.016, PFWE<0.001). Interestingly, within the triangular relationship, we found a significant moderation effect of abuse only on the gene-to-brain pathway (Index of Moderated Mediation = -0.007; 95% CI= -0.012 ~ -0.002; PFWE<0.05). These findings indicate the negative modulatory effects of ELS on the genetic influence on brain structural development that lead to disadvantageous neurocognitive development in prepubertal children.

A clinical-statistical study on COVID-19 infection and death status at the Alshifaa Healthcare Center/ Baghdad

Background: COVID-19 is an ongoing disease that caused, and still causes, many challenges for humanity. In fact, COVID-19 death cases reached more than 4.5 million by the end of August 2021, although an improvement in the medical treatments and pharmaceutical protocols was obtained, and many vaccines were released. Objective: To, statistically, analyze the data of COVID-19 patients at Alshifaa Healthcare Center (Baghdad, Iraq). Methods: In this work, a statistical analysis was conducted on data included the total number, positive cases, and negative cases of people tested for COVID-19 at the Alshifaa Healthcare Center/Baghdad for the period 1 September – 31 December 2020. The number of people who got the test was 1080, where 424 were infected and the rest of them were not. Results: The study showed that males’ infection and death cases were higher than females by more than double, despite the population ratios of the two genders being almost equal. Furthermore, as the age of patients is older, the chance of death is higher. Death cases were lower in December than the previous three months, which could be attributed to lower infection cases compared with the previous months. Conclusions: We can conclude that the peak of infected ages was the same as the other countries. Hence, the number of checked children was low, while we have the peak around the 40s and 50s. Females’ death cases were much less than males, which could be attributed to the genetic influence and the higher responsibility that females showed than males to prevent the disease’s spreading.

Genetic influences on brain representations of natural audiovisual experiences

Natural sensory inputs in everyday situations induce unique experiences that vary between individuals, even when inputs are identical. This experiential uniqueness stems from the representations of sensory signals in each brain. We investigated whether genetic factors control individual differences in sensory representations in the brain by studying the brain representations of natural audiovisual signals in twin-pairs. We measured the brain response to natural movies in twins using functional magnetic resonance imaging and quantified the genetic influence on the multivoxel-pattern similarity of movie clip representations between each twin. The whole-brain analysis revealed a genetic influence on the multivoxel-pattern similarity in widespread brain regions, which included the occipitotemporal sensory cortices as well as the frontoparietal association cortices and subcortical structures. Our findings suggest that genetic factors exhibit an effect on natural audiovisual signaling by controlling audiovisual representations in the brain.

Genetic influences on brain representations of natural audiovisual experiences

Natural sensory inputs in everyday situations induce unique experiences that vary between individuals, even when inputs are identical. This experiential uniqueness stems from the representations of sensory signals in each brain. We investigated whether genetic factors control individual differences in sensory representations in the brain by studying the brain representations of natural audiovisual signals in twin-pairs. We measured the brain response to natural movies in twins using functional magnetic resonance imaging and quantified the genetic influence on the multivoxel-pattern similarity of movie clip representations between each twin. The whole-brain analysis revealed a genetic influence on the multivoxel-pattern similarity in widespread brain regions, which included the occipitotemporal sensory cortices as well as the frontoparietal association cortices and subcortical structures. Our findings suggest that genetic factors exhibit an effect on natural audiovisual signaling by controlling audiovisual representations in the brain.

The Basic Framework

Chapter 2 presents the theoretical framework for the book: a 2 × 2 typology that can help us understand the controversies surrounding genomics. The vertical dimension ranges from a perception that genetic inheritance strongly affects important human phenotypes to a perception that important human phenotypes are affected not by genetic inheritance but rather by environmental context, family and background, free choice, a deity’s will, or luck. The horizontal dimension ranges from technology optimism—a view that the gains from innovation can outweigh its harms—to the opposite, technology pessimism. The two dimensions jointly create four cells: “Enthusiasm,” focusing on the benefits of using the science of genetic influence, “Skepticism,” focusing on the risks of using the science of genetic influence, “Hope,” focusing on developing social improvements through means other than genetic influence, and “Rejection,” which highlights the hubris of both genetic science and social programming.

Locating the Public in the Basic Framework

Relying on two surveys of randomly selected American adults, Chapter 7 first locates the American public within the basic framework’s four quadrants. The surveys—Genomics: Knowledge, Attitudes, and Policies 1 (GKAP 1), and GKAP 2—were conducted in 2011 and 2017, respectively. Both are stratified by race and ethnicity; GKAP 1 includes almost 4,000 respondents and GKAP 2 includes almost 2,000. Survey items address perceptions of genetic influence and levels of technology optimism; in combination, these items enable respondents to be located in the four cells. Chapter 7 then explores demographic characteristics of individuals in particular cells, and views as revealed through coded responses to open-ended questions. Key findings include: about three-fifths of Americans are Enthusiatic; genetics knowledge is associated with Enthusiasm; racial or partisan differences have little impact on quadrant location; the Hopeful and especially Enthusiasts are committed to medical research or to criminal justice; Skeptics are mistrustful and protective of privacy; Rejecters seek withdrawal and self-protection.

Reconstructing Sociogenomics Research: Dismantling Biological Race and Genetic Essentialism Narratives

We detail the implications of sociogenomics for social determinants research. We focus on education and race because of how early twentieth-century scientific eugenic thinking facilitated a range of racist and eugenic policies, most of which helped justify and pattern racial and educational morbidity and mortality disparities that remain today, and are central to sociological research. Consequently, we detail the implications of sociogenomics research by unpacking key controversies and opportunities in sociogenomics as they pertain to the understanding of racial and educational inequalities. We clarify why race is not a valid biological or genetic construct, the ways that environments powerfully shape genetic influence, and risks linked to this field of research. We argue that sociologists can usefully engage in genetics research, a domain dominated by psychologists and behaviorists who, given their focus on individuals, have mostly not examined the role of history and social structure in shaping genetic influence.