Association Between Dopamine D4 Receptor Exon III Polymorphism and Emotional Reactivity as a Temperamental Trait

The interactive effect of emotional reactivity and maladaptive metacognitive beliefs on anxiety

Emotional reactivity has been implicated in the development and maintenance of anxiety. The metacognitive model suggests that maladaptive metacognitive beliefs (i.e. beliefs about thinking) may increase the impact of emotional reactivity on anxiety. As such, the purpose of the present study was to examine maladaptive metacognitive beliefs as a moderator of the relationship between emotional reactivity and anxiety in an undergraduate student sample (N = 78). Participants completed a battery of self-report measures and a negative emotion induction procedure during a single laboratory session. As predicted, higher levels of maladaptive metacognitive beliefs strengthened the relationship between emotional reactivity and anxiety. This effect was found in relation to negative (e.g. "My thoughts are uncontrollable"), but not positive (e.g. "Worrying will keep me safe"), metacognitive beliefs. Study results support the proposal that maladaptive metacognitive beliefs potentiate the effect of emotional reactivity on anxiety and suggest that preemptive efforts to reduce negative metacognitive beliefs may be beneficial among individuals prone to emotional reactivity.

Prenatal programming of postnatal plasticity for externalizing behavior: Testing an integrated developmental model of genetic and temperamental sensitivity to the environment

Although both gene- and temperament-environment interactions contribute to the development of youth externalizing problems, it is unclear how these factors jointly affect environmental sensitivity over time. In a 7-year longitudinal study of 232 children (aged 5-10) with and without ADHD, we employed moderated mediation to test a developmentally sensitive mechanistic model of genetic and temperamental sensitivity to prenatal and postnatal environmental factors. Birth weight, a global measure of the prenatal environment, moderated predictions of child negative emotionality from a composite of dopaminergic polymorphisms (i.e., DRD4 and DAT1), such that birth weight inversely predicted negative emotionality only for children with genetic plasticity. Negative emotionality, in turn, predicted externalizing behavior 4-5 years later, beyond genetic and postnatal parenting effects. Finally, birth weight moderated the indirect effect of dopaminergic genotypes on externalizing problems through negative emotionality, partially supporting a prenatal programming model. We discuss theoretical and empirical implications for models of environmental sensitivity.

From Twins to Genetic Polymorphisms: Behavioral Genetic Research in Poland

Behavioral genetic research has been conducted at the University of Warsaw for the past 20 years. The work done at the University focuses primarily on the origins of individual differences in temperament and other personality traits. In particular, research is directed toward the traits postulated in the Regulative Theory of Temperament. We also focused on the heritability of socio-political attitudes, risk factors for human health, and post-traumatic stress disorder. The majority of the research that has been carried out is grounded in twin and family studies, although recent work based on molecular techniques has also been developed. This article reviews the most important directions and findings of behavioral genetics research at the University of Warsaw.

Temperament and Anxiety: The Mediating Role of Metacognition

The present study examines a simple model for the relationship between temperament, anxiety and maladaptive metacognition. A clinical sample of patients diagnosed with anxiety disorders (n = 216) completed a set of self-reported questionnaires measuring temperament dimensions, state anxiety and metacognitions. Three temperament traits were included in the hypothesized model: emotional reactivity, perseveration and briskness. A structural equation modeling analysis supported a model in which the relationship between the three temperament traits and anxiety were fully mediated by metacognition. Dissimilar models were identified for the male and female subgroups, and also with reference to individual categories of maladaptive metacognition. The findings support the significance of metacognition as a factor influencing the temperament-anxiety relationship. Moreover, they confirm the roles both of emotional reactivity and of perseveration, being major traits related to anxiety which also turned out to be strongly associated with metacognition. In case of the models for the categories of metacognition, emotional reactivity was associated with negative beliefs, perseveration with negative and positive beliefs, while briskness predicted anxiety independently of metacognition. These results suggest the existence of more specific associations between temperament traits, anxiety, and various types of metacognition.

The Southern Illinois Twins and Siblings Study (SITSS): description and update

This update on the Southern Illinois Twins and Siblings Study (SITSS) documents some of the follow-up studies that have been conducted and results that have been obtained from this sample. At the current time, 283 twin pairs, 8 triplet families, 98 non-twin sibling pairs, and 287 singletons have been enrolled in SITSS. Twins and triplets are tested as young as 1 year of age and then every year on their birthday through age 5 years. A variety of follow-up studies have been conducted for SITSS children through age 20. Results thus far have demonstrated significant genetic influences on social behaviors such as aggression, victimization, and attention toward facial expressions. Interesting interactions have been documented between the dopamine receptor D4 gene (DRD4) and the social environment (parental sensitivity or peer aggression) as they predict children's aggressive behaviors. In addition, increased difficulty with social interactions has been noted for twins versus singletons. Thus, this multi-trait, multi-method behavior genetic data set contributes to our understanding of the etiology of social behaviors in preschoolers and to predictors of similar behaviors through adolescence.

Association between temperament in terms of the Regulative Theory of Temperament and DRD4 and DAT1 gene polymorphisms

OBJECTIVES

This is a study of the association between DRD4 exon III VNTR and DAT1 3'-untranslated region polymorphisms on the one hand and temperament assessed with the Formal Characteristics of Behaviour-Temperament Inventory on the other hand.

METHODS

The study was run on 418 participants (314 women and 104 men) aged 18 to 55 years sampled from healthy male and female volunteers recruited from inhabitants of the Warsaw metropolis.

RESULTS

Main effects of sex were found for briskness (F(1,417) = 9.05, P = .003, η(2) = 0.022), perseveration (F(1,417) = 37.83, P < .001, η(2) = 0.085), sensory sensitivity (F(1,417) = 14.16, P < .001, η(2) = 0.003), and emotional reactivity (F(1,417) = 34.67, P < .001, η(2) = 0.078). A significant main effect of DAT1 variant was also found for sensory sensitivity (F(1,417) = 7.36, P = .007, η(2) = 0.018). No main effects of DRD4 on any of the analyzed temperament traits were found. A significant interaction of sex and DRD4 variant was found for sensory sensitivity (F(1,417) = 5.68, P = .018, η(2) = 0.014). No significant 3-way interactions (DAT1 × DRD4 × sex) were found.

CONCLUSIONS

A significant main effect of DAT1 polymorphism on sensory sensitivity and a significant interactive sex/DRD4 effect on that same trait were found.

Dopamine Genes and Sensory Sensitivity as a Temperamental Trait

The regulative theory of temperament defines sensory sensitivity as the capacity to react to sensory stimuli of low stimulating value. Some evidence already exists indicating that dopamine has the potential to modulate different aspects of sensory sensitivity. The present study sought to identify the relationships between several polymorphisms in dopamine genes (DRD2, DRD3, DRD4, DAT1, ANKK1, SNAP-25, and COMT) and sensory sensitivity as a temperamental trait. The method used in this study was family-based. The study was run on 149 biological families with one or two children aged 3–12 (M = 6.83; SD = 1.9). Phenotypic data were obtained using the Temperament Inventory for Children. We found a significant association with rs463379, the single nucleotide polymorphism in intron 4 of dopamine transporter gene (DAT1). Furthermore, we found a significant association with haplotypes in DAT1 and SNAP-25 (the synaptosomal associated protein of 25 kDa) genes. The data collected suggest that variability in dopamine genes may have an impact on the development of sensory sensitivity.

Predicting Illness-Related Outcomes with FCB-TI Trait Pairs

The Formal Characteristics of Behavior–Temperament Inventory (FCB-TI; Strelau & Zawadzki, 1993 , 1995a ) evolved from the Pavlovian CNS typology, which emphasizes the “formal” (energetic and temporal) aspects of behavior. Research suggests that the scales of the FCB-TI – Briskness (BR), Endurance (EN), Sensory Sensitivity (SS), Perseveration (PE), Activity (AC), and Emotional Reactivity (ER) – should predict illness-related variables. We examined the ability of PE to account for somatic anxiety and self-reported illness/injury item endorsement in 1,824 individuals. The analyses went beyond an examination of the predictive powers of PE alone by focusing on the nonadditive effects of PE in two-trait interactions (e.g., PE × SS, PE × ER). Regression analyses indicated that PE accounted for significant variance in somatic anxiety, while interactions of PE with other FCB-TI traits accounted for significant variance in total illness reports as well as common illness and inflammations. The interaction of PE × SS was most often related to illness endorsements.

Cloninger's Psychobiological Model of Personality and Strelau's Regulative Theory of Temperament - analysis of their associations in a Polish sample

The present study explores the relationship between Cloninger scales and Strelau's Regulative Theory of Temperament (RTT) traits. Cloninger's psychobiological model identifies four dimensions of temperament (Novelty seeking, Harm Avoidance, Reward Dependence and Persistence) and three dimensions of character (Self-Directedness, Cooperativeness and Self-Transcendence). RTT proposes the traits of Briskness, Perseveration, Sensory Sensitivity, Emotional Reactivity, Endurance and Activity as the basic dimensions underlying individual differences. The relationships between the dimensions of Cloninger's Temperament and Character and Strelau's Regulative Theory of Temperament are investigated in a sample of 282 participants. Data analysis demonstrated some significant correlations between the two models. The strongest associations were found between the dimension of Harm Avoidance from Cloninger's concept and Strelau's RTT traits (positive correlations from r = .73 for Emotional Reactivity to r = .48 for Perseveration, and negative correlations from r = -.57 for Endurance to r = -.51 for Briskness). However, there is not enough evidence to suggest that the two models offer an alternative way of explaining individual differences. According to RTT, temperamental traits are expressed in formal characteristics of behavior (energetic and temporal) and every kind of behavior (irrespective of its content) can be described in the same formal categories. In the Psychobiological Model of Personality the traits are characterized rather by the content or goals of behavior. In this model, in addition to underlining the biological variation of heritable traits, the social, cultural and phenotypical levels of behavior are reflected.

Genetic and gene-environment interaction effects on preschoolers' social behaviors

This study examined effects from a specific dopamine receptor gene (DRD4), environmental influences from parents and peers, and the interaction between them, on aggressive and prosocial behaviors of preschoolers. Children were classified as DRD4-L (n = 27) if they had at least one DRD4 allele with six to eight repeats and as DRD4-S (n = 35) if not. Parent-child interactions were coded when children were 3-4 years old. Peer interaction data and parent questionnaires were collected at age 5. DRD4-L children shared less with each other and parents were less sensitive during parent-twin triadic interactions. Also, genotype interacted with peer aggression to affect children's aggression during a peer play interaction at age 5, and genotype interacted with prior parental sensitivity to affect later externalizing problems. Thus, children having a certain genetic disposition may be more sensitive to certain environmental stimuli and therefore more likely to exhibit aggressive behaviors under more stressful circumstances.

Prenatal predictors of infant temperament

Emerging data suggest that prenatal factors influence children's temperament. In 50 dyads, we examined fetal heart rate (FHR) activity and women's antenatal psychiatric illness as predictors of infant temperament at 4 months (response to novelty and the Infant Behavior Checklist). FHR change during maternal challenge was positively associated with observed infant motor reactivity to novelty (p = .02). The odds of being classified as high versus low motor among fetuses who had an increase in FHR during maternal stress was 11 times those who had a decrease in FHR (p = .0006). Antenatal psychiatric diagnosis was associated with an almost fourfold greater odds of having a high cry reactivity classification (p = .03). There also were modest associations between baseline FHR and maternal reports of infant temperament and between observed temperament and that based on mothers' reports. All of the infant results were found independent of the influence of women's postnatal anxiety. These data indicate that physiological markers of individual differences in infant temperament are identifiable in the fetal period, and possibly shaped by the prenatal environment.