Article

Moderation of maltreatment effects on childhood borderline personality symptoms by gender and oxytocin receptor and FK506 binding protein 5 genes

August 2014
Development and Psychopathology 26(3):831-49

DOI:10.1017/S095457941400042X

Source
PubMed

Authors:

Dante Cicchetti

University of Minnesota

Fred Rogosch

University of Rochester

Show all 5 authorsHide

In this investigation, gene-environment-gender interaction effects in predicting child borderline personality disorder symptomatology among maltreated and nonmaltreated low-income children (N = 1,051) were examined. In the context of a summer research camp, adult-, peer-, and self-report assessments of borderline precursor indicators were obtained, as well as child self-report on the Borderline Personality Features Scale for Children. Genetic variants of the oxytocin receptor genotype and the FK506 binding protein 5 gene CATT haplotype were investigated. Children who self-reported high levels of borderline personality symptomatology were differentiated by adults, peers, and additional self-report on indicators of emotional instability, conflictual relationships with peers and adults, preoccupied attachment, and indicators of self-harm and suicidal ideation. Maltreated children also were more likely to evince many of these difficulties relative to nonmaltreated children. A series of analyses of covariance, controlling for age and ancestrally informative markers, indicated significant Maltreatment × Gene × Gender three-way interactions. Consideration of the maltreatment parameters of subtype, onset, and recency expanded understanding of variation among maltreated children. The three-way interaction effects demonstrated differential patterns among girls and boys. Among girls, the gene-environment interaction was more consistent with a diathesis-stress model, whereas among boys a differential-sensitivity interaction effect was indicated. Moreover, the genetic variants associated with greater risk for higher borderline symptomatology, dependent on maltreatment experiences, were opposite in girls compared to boys. The findings have important implications for understanding variability in early predictors of borderline personality pathology.

Borderline Personality Disorder and Peers: A Scoping Review of Friendship, Victimization and Aggression Studies

Article

Full-text available

Dec 2021

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is characterized by instability in interpersonal relationships. To date no reviews have scoped the extant research on peer relationship functioning for young people diagnosed with BPD or showing borderline personality features. The current review provides this scoping of studies on all facets of peer relationships, including friendship quality, peer victimization and bullying and peer aggression, and relevant studies of social-cognitive processes with relevance to peer relationships. From 282 studies identified up to August 2019, 39 studies were included for review. The majority of these were published between 2014 and 2019 (64%), with most studies using community samples (56.4%), conducted in the Unites States of America (51.3%) and over half (53.8%) with majority female (> 60% of the sample) participants, and over half (53.8%) with adolescent samples (mean age between 13 and 18 years). Most studies only addressed one domain of peer relationships (general k = 15; friendships k = 12; victimization k = 10; aggression k = 12). Only 8 studies (19.5%) were identified that included measures that crossed these domains. Borderline personality features were consistently associated with problematic functioning across facets of peer functioning. However, relatively few studies were located that examined multiple domains of peer relationship qualities, leaving an unclear and disjointed body of research. Some promising directions have received scant attention, including unrealistic expectations of friendship exclusivity and the sequelae when those expectations are not met. Studies that explicitly probe the developmental role of dysregulation, that assess bully/victim co-occurrence, and that consider the dynamics of thwarted expectations for exclusive "best-friend" roles, especially within the context of potential disorganized attachment histories, are needed.

Oxytocin Receptor Gene, Childhood Maltreatment and Borderline Personality Disorder among Male Inmates in China

Preprint

Full-text available

Aug 2019

Background: Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is caused by a variety of biological and environmental factors. Accumulating evidence suggests that childhood maltreatment is a risk environmental factor in the development of BPD, but research on the genetic pathology of BPD is still in its early stages, and very little is known about the oxytocin receptor (OXTR) gene. The purpose of this study is to further explore the interactive effects between OXTR gene polymorphisms and childhood maltreatment on BPD risk. Methods: Among the 1804 male inmates, 765 inmates with high risk were included in this study. Childhood maltreatment, BPD, antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) and impulsivity were measured by self-reported questionnaires. Peripheral venous blood was collected for the genotype test. Results: Analyses revealed that the BP group had higher rs53576 AA genotype frequency and rs237987 AA genotype frequency than the non-BP group. Total childhood maltreatment score, emotional abuse and neglect could positively predict BPD risk. Among the high-risk samples, rs53576 GG genotype carriers had higher BPD scores at higher levels of physical abuse and sexual abuse and had lower BPD scores at lower levels of physical abuse and sexual abuse. Conclusions: The findings suggest that the interaction between OXTR gene variations and childhood maltreatment is an important mechanism for the development of BPD. The moderating role of the OXTR gene provides evidence for gene plasticity.

An interaction between early threat exposure and the oxytocin receptor in females: Disorder-specific versus general risk for psychopathology and social–emotional mediators

Article

Full-text available

Jul 2020

Early threat exposure is a transdiagnostic risk factor for psychopathology, and evidence suggests that genetic variation in the oxytocin receptor ( OXTR ) moderates this association. However, it is unclear if this gene-by-environment (G×E) interaction is tied to unique risk for disorder-specific outcomes or instead increases shared risk for general psychopathology. Moreover, little is known about how this G×E interaction increases risk. The current study utilized a prospective, longitudinal sample of females ( n = 2,020) to examine: (a) whether the interaction between early threat exposure and OXTR variation (rs53576, rs2254298) confers risk for disorder-specific outcomes (depression, anxiety, borderline and antisocial personality disorders) and/or general psychopathology in early adulthood; and (b) whether social–emotional deficits (emotion dysregulation, callousness, attachment quality) during adolescence constitute mediating mechanisms. Consistent with hypotheses, the interactive effects of early threat exposure and OXTR variation (rs53576) predicted general psychopathology, with threat-exposed women carrying at least one copy of the rs53576 A-allele at greatest risk. This interaction was mediated via emotional dysregulation in adolescence, with threat-exposed A-allele carriers demonstrating greater emotion dysregulation, and greater emotion dysregulation predicting general psychopathology in early adulthood. Findings suggest that this G×E places women at risk for a broad range of psychopathology via effects on emotion dysregulation.

Oxytocin receptor gene, childhood maltreatment and borderline personality disorder features among male inmates in China

Article

Full-text available

Jun 2020
BMC PSYCHIATRY

Background: Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is caused by a variety of biological and environmental factors. Accumulating evidence suggests that childhood maltreatment is a risk environmental factor in the development of BPD, but research on the genetic pathology of BPD is still in its early stages, and very little is known about the oxytocin receptor (OXTR) gene. The purpose of this study is to further explore the interactive effects between OXTR gene polymorphisms and childhood maltreatment on BPD risk. Methods: Among the 1804 Chinese Han male inmates, 765 inmates who had BPD or antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) or highly impulsive or violent crime were considered as high-risk inmates and included in this study. Childhood maltreatment, BPD, antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) and impulsivity were measured by self-reported questionnaires. Peripheral venous blood was collected for the genotype test. Results: Analyses revealed that the BP group (inmates with BPD features) had higher rs53576 AA genotype frequency and rs237987 AA genotype frequency than the non-BP group, while the statistical significances were lost after Bonferroni correction. Total childhood maltreatment score, emotional abuse and neglect could positively predict BPD risk. Among the high-risk samples, rs53576 GG genotype carriers had higher BPD scores at higher levels of physical abuse and sexual abuse and had lower BPD scores at lower levels of physical abuse and sexual abuse. Conclusions: The findings suggest that the interaction between OXTR gene variations and childhood maltreatment is an important mechanism for the development of BPD. The moderating role of the OXTR gene provides evidence for gene plasticity.

Oxytocin Receptor Gene, Childhood Maltreatment and Borderline Personality Disorder Features among Male Inmates in China

Preprint

Full-text available

Aug 2019

Background: Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is caused by a variety of biological and environmental factors. Accumulating evidence suggests that childhood maltreatment is a risk environmental factor in the development of BPD, but research on the genetic pathology of BPD is still in its early stages, and very little is known about the oxytocin receptor (OXTR) gene. The purpose of this study is to further explore the interactive effects between OXTR gene polymorphisms and childhood maltreatment on BPD risk. Methods: Among the 1804 male inmates, 765 inmates who had BPD or antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) or highly impulsive or violent crime were considered as high-risk inmates and included in this study. Childhood maltreatment, BPD, antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) and impulsivity were measured by self-reported questionnaires. Peripheral venous blood was collected for the genotype test. Results: Analyses revealed that the BP group (inmates with BPD features) had higher rs53576 AA genotype frequency and rs237987 AA genotype frequency than the non-BP group, while the statistical significances were lost after Bonferroni correction. Total childhood maltreatment score, emotional abuse and neglect could positively predict BPD risk. Among the high-risk samples, rs53576 GG genotype carriers had higher BPD scores at higher levels of physical abuse and sexual abuse and had lower BPD scores at lower levels of physical abuse and sexual abuse. Conclusions: The findings suggest that the interaction between OXTR gene variations and childhood maltreatment is an important mechanism for the development of BPD. The moderating role of the OXTR gene provides evidence for gene plasticity.

Oxytocin Receptor Gene, Childhood Maltreatment and Borderline Personality Disorder among Male Inmates in China

Preprint

Full-text available

Aug 2019

Background Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is caused by a variety of biological and environmental factors. Accumulating evidence suggests that childhood maltreatment is a risk environmental factor in the development of BPD, but research on the genetic pathology of BPD is still in its early stages, and very little is known about the oxytocin receptor (OXTR) gene. The purpose of this study is to further explore the interaction between OXTR gene polymorphism and childhood maltreatment in BPD. Methods A total of 1804 prison inmates and 196 normal controls participated in this study. Childhood maltreatment was measured by a self-reported questionnaire, as was BPD. Venous blood was collected for the genotype test. Results Analyses revealed that the BP group had higher rs53576 AA genotype frequency and rs237987 AA genotype frequency than the non-BP group. Childhood maltreatment and its dimension could positively predict BPD risk. Among the prison samples, rs53576 GG genotype carriers had higher BPD scores at higher levels of emotional abuse, physical abuse and sexual abuse and lower BPD scores at lower levels of physical abuse and sexual abuse. Conclusions The finding suggests that the interaction between childhood maltreatment and OXTR gene variations is an important mechanism for the development of BPD. The moderating role of the OXTR gene provides evidence for gene plasticity.

Early Detection and Outcome in Borderline Personality Disorder

Article

Full-text available

Oct 2019

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a severe and heterogeneous mental disorder that is known to have the onset in young age, often in adolescence. For this reason, it is of fundamental importance to identify clinical conditions of childhood and adolescence that present a high risk to evolve in BPD. Investigations indicate that early borderline pathology (before 19 years) predict long-term deficits in functioning, and a higher percentage of these patients continue to present some BPD symptoms up to 20 years. There is a general accordance among investigators that good competence in both childhood and early adulthood is the main predictive factor of excellent recovery in BPD patients. Some authors suggest that specific childhood personality traits can to be considered precursors of adult BPD, as well as some clinical conditions: disruptive behaviours, disturbance in attention and emotional regulation, conduct disorders, substance use disorders, and attention-deficit-hyperactivity disorder. Unfortunately, diagnosis and treatment of BPD is usually delayed, also because some clinicians are reluctant to diagnose BPD in younger individuals. Instead, the early identification of BPD symptoms have important clinical implications in terms of precocious intervention programs, and guarantees that young people with personality disorders obtain appropriate treatments. This review is aimed to collect the current evidences on early risk and protective factors in young people that may predict BPD onset, course, and outcome.

Nature and Nurture? A review of the literature on Childhood Maltreatment and Genetic Factors in the pathogenesis of Borderline Personality Disorder

Article

Dec 2020
J PSYCHIATR RES

BACKGROUND Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is a psychiatric disorder associated with significant morbidity and mortality. However, the neurobiological alterations underlying the condition remain poorly understood. As a result, existing treatments remain inadequate. One of the main risk factors for the development of BPD is a history of childhood maltreatment. However, it is considered neither causative nor specific to the condition. Current theory is therefore increasingly moving toward a ‘Gene x Environment’ (GxE) model of the condition. The purpose of the current work was to conduct a systematic literature review, which comprehensively identifies all published molecular level GxE studies that have explored the role of specific genetic loci, in influencing the risk of BPD following exposure to childhood abuse or neglect. METHODS Four electronic databases were used to systematically search for molecular level GxE studies of any design, which focused on the development of BPD following exposure to childhood abuse or neglect, without language or date restrictions. Articles were screened independently by two reviewers and results were synthesised narratively. RESULTS A total of 473 articles were screened of which sixteen were selected for inclusion in our review. Implicated genes were categorised according to their influence on; Neurotransmitter Systems, Neurodevelopment and Neuroendocrine Systems. CONCLUSIONS The identified studies have produced several relevant and statistically significant results. Of particular note, is the repeated finding that genes involved in HPA axis regulation, may be altered by exposure to childhood maltreatment, influencing subsequent susceptibility to BPD. This is both biologically plausible and of potential clinical significance.

A Neuroscience-Oriented Research Approach to Borderline Personality Disorder

Article

Dec 2018
J PERS DISORD

Traditionally, the study of personality disorders had been based on psychoanalytic or behavioral models. Over the past two decades, there has been an emerging neuroscience model of borderline personality disorder (BPD) grounded in the concept of BPD as a condition in which dysfunctional neural circuits underlie its pathological dimensions, some of which include emotion dysregulation (broadly encompassing affective instability, negative affectivity, and hyperarousal), abnormal interpersonal functioning, and impulsive aggression. This article, initiated at a joint Columbia University– Cornell University Think Tank on BPD with representation from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, suggests how to advance research in BPD by studying the dimensions that underlie BPD in addition to studying the disorder as a unitary diagnostic entity. We suggest that linking the underlying neurobiological abnormalities to behavioral symptoms of the disorder can inform a research agenda to better understand BPD with its multiple presentations.

The OXTR Single-Nucleotide Polymorphism rs53576 Moderates the Impact of Childhood Maltreatment on Empathy for Social Pain in Female Participants: Evidence for Differential Susceptibility

Article

Full-text available

Aug 2018

Previous research has associated genetic variations of the oxytocin receptor with individual differences in human social behavior. Specifically, homozygous carriers of the G-allele of the single nucleotide polymorphism rs53576 have been reported to display more trust, empathy, and prosocial behavior and were less sensitive toward stress and maltreatment during childhood when compared to A-allele carriers. With regard to Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), a psychiatric condition that is often associated with the experience of childhood adversity, it has been suggested that A-allele carriers are more vulnerable to developing psychopathological signs and symptoms. In the present study we investigated whether childhood trauma, as assessed by the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ), affects empathy for somatic and psychological pain, and how this is moderated by genotype, in a sample of 302 individuals (148 of whom were diagnosed with BPD). We found a three-way interaction between genotype, group and pain condition. Posthoc comparisons revealed that patients with BPD carrying at least one A-allele, rated psychological pain as more intense compared to controls, whereas no difference between groups emerged in GG homozygotes. Moreover, a moderating effect of genotype appeared on the impact of childhood trauma on empathy for psychological pain. In addition, a positive correlation of CTQ scores and empathy appeared only in A-allele carriers (GA + AA), independent of diagnosis. Together, A-allele carriers, especially those with BPD, seemed to be responsive to the impact of adversity on empathy-for-pain, while GG homozygotes were not, which is compatible with the idea of differential susceptibility.

Individual differences in children’s social development. A gene by environment (GXE) study

Thesis

Full-text available

Mar 2017

Beate Wold Hygen

Children may be differently affected by environmental influences. The aim of the current thesis was to examine how children’s genotype interacts with various environmental factors in the development of social behavior and relationships. In two of the three papers (papers II and III), we tested whether some children are merely vulnerable to adversity (diathesis stress), or, susceptible to negative and positive environmental influences (differential susceptibility). The data applied in this thesis stem from the Norwegian longitudinal cohort study, the Trondheim Early Secure Study (TESS). The sample included 704 children genotyped for catechol-O-methyltransferase Val158Met (COMT, rs4680) and 652 genotyped for the oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR, rs53576). Children ages four (T1), six (T2), and eight years (T3) were examined. The results of the first study demonstrated that children’s genotype (COMT) moderated the effect of disorganized attachment over time (from four to six years) on social behavior (aggression and social competence). More specific; children who scored high on disorganization and were carriers of Valine/Valine (Val/Val), showed significantly greater increases in aggression over time compared to highly disorganized children carrying the methionine (Met) allele. Met carriers who were highly disorganized, increased their social competence (other-oriented) more than disorganized Val homozygotes. The results were interpreted to reflect two distinct developmental trajectories disorganized children usually follow: controlling-punitive and controlling-caregiving. In study II, the results showed that COMT moderated the effect of serious life events on aggression. Some children depending on genotype (Val/Val) displayed the highest aggression scores in the presence of serious life events but the lowest aggression scores in the absence of such events. The findings conformed to the differential susceptibility hypothesis. Finally, the results from paper III revealed that change in parenting, from four to six years, predicted change in the student-teacher relationship, from six to eight years, for children with a specific genotype of OXTR rs53576; when parenting changed for the better, the teacher-child relationship improved accordingly. When parenting changed for the worse, the student-teacher relationship also changed for the worse. The findings conformed to the differential susceptibility framework.

A Neuroscience-Oriented Research Approach to Borderline Personality Disorder

Article

Feb 2018
J PERS DISORD

Traditionally, the study of personality disorders had been based on psychoanalytic or behavioral models. Over the past two decades, there has been an emerging neuroscience model of borderline personality disorder (BPD) grounded in the concept of BPD as a condition in which dysfunctional neural circuits underlie its pathological dimensions, some of which include emotion dysregulation (broadly encompassing affective instability, negative affectivity, and hyperarousal), abnormal interpersonal functioning, and impulsive aggression. This article, initiated at a joint Columbia University-Cornell University Think Tank on BPD with representation from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, suggests how to advance research in BPD by studying the dimensions that underlie BPD in addition to studying the disorder as a unitary diagnostic entity. We suggest that linking the underlying neurobiological abnormalities to behavioral symptoms of the disorder can inform a research agenda to better understand BPD with its multiple presentations.

Treating depression in patients with borderline personality disorder: clinical clues on the use of antidepressants

Article

Full-text available

May 2024
Ann Gen Psychiatr

Personality disorders (PD) are described as enduring patterns of markedly deviant and pervasive inner experiences and behaviors, with onset in adolescence, which lead to severe distress or impairment. Patients suffering from major depressive disorder (MDD) display higher rates of comorbidity with personality disorders, often complicating the treatment, and worsening the outcomes. Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is the most common of PD and is frequently associated with MDD, with which shares several features. The most part of research agrees on the fact that comorbid BPD in MDD patients quite doubles the poor response to treatments. Moreover, no treatment strategy stands out currently to emerge as more effective in these cases, thus urging the call for the need of new approaches. Herein, we revise the current literature on BPD, its neurobiology and comorbidity with MDD, as well as the more recent treatment strategies used. Then, based on its pharmacology, we propose a possible role of trazodone as a valuable tool to approach comorbid BPD-MDD.

Association of OXTR polymorphism (rs53576) with depression: a meta-analysis

Article

Full-text available

Nov 2023

Background Depression is a common psychiatric disorder that negatively affects mood and thoughts. Association studies of OXTR polymorphisms with depression have been performed repeatedly. However, the results of these studies were inconsistent. The aim of the present study was to perform a meta-analysis of case–control studies that have investigated the relationship between the OXTR polymorphism (rs53576) and depression risk. Methods Four databases, PubMed, ScienceDirect, Springer Link, and Google Scholar, were searched, and a total of 10 studies were involved in the meta-analysis. ReviewManager (RevMan) 5.4 software was used to perform a meta-analysis of the eligible studies. Results A significant association between OXTR rs53576 and depression was found in the recessive model (Odds Ratio (OR) AA vs. AG + GG = 1.28, 95% Confidence Interval (CI) [1.02–1.59], P = 0.03), while there was no association with the other two genetic models (dominant model: OR AA + AG vs. GG = 1.01, 95% CI [0.87–1.18], P = 0.87; allelic model: OR A vs. G = 0.95, 95% CI [0.83–1.09], P = 0.46). A significant association was observed in the Caucasian populations (OR 1.29, 95% CI [1.01, 1.64], P = 0.04), while the Asian populations showed no significant association (OR 1.22, 95% CI [0.71, 2.09], P = 0.48). Conclusions This meta-analysis is to date the first to provide a comprehensive investigation of the association of the OXTR rs53576 polymorphism with depression, and its results reflect the data currently available from the literature and can serve as a guide for further research.

Treating Depression in Patients with Borderline Personality Disorder: Clinical Clues on the Use of Antidepressants

Preprint

Full-text available

Apr 2023

Personality disorders (PD) are described as enduring patterns of markedly deviant and pervasive inner experiences and behaviors, with onset in adolescence, which lead to severe distress or impairment. Patients suffering with major depressive disorder (MDD) display higher rates of comorbidity with personality disorders, often complicating the treatment, and worsening the outcome. Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is the most common of PD and is frequently associated with MDD, with which shares several features. The most part of research agrees on the fact that comorbid BPD in MDD patients quite double the poor response to treatments. Moreover, no treatment strategy stands out currently to emerge as more effective in these cases, thus urging the call for the need of a new approach. Herein, we revise the current literature on BPD, its neurobiology and comorbidity with MDD, as well as the more recent treatment strategies used. Then, based on its pharmacology, we propose a possible role of trazodone as a valuable tool to approach underlying BPD in MDD

Abnormal Brain Circuits Characterize Borderline Personality and Mediate the Relationship between Childhood Traumas and Symptoms: A mCCA+jICA and Random Forest Approach

Article

Full-text available

Mar 2023
SENSORS-BASEL

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a severe personality disorder whose neural bases are still unclear. Indeed, previous studies reported inconsistent findings concerning alterations in cortical and subcortical areas. In the present study, we applied for the first time a combination of an unsupervised machine learning approach known as multimodal canonical correlation analysis plus joint independent component analysis (mCCA+jICA), in combination with a supervised machine learning approach known as random forest, to possibly find covarying gray matter and white matter (GM-WM) circuits that separate BPD from controls and that are also predictive of this diagnosis. The first analysis was used to decompose the brain into independent circuits of covarying grey and white matter concentrations. The second method was used to develop a predictive model able to correctly classify new unobserved BPD cases based on one or more circuits derived from the first analysis. To this aim, we analyzed the structural images of patients with BPD and matched healthy controls (HCs). The results showed that two GM-WM covarying circuits, including basal ganglia, amygdala, and portions of the temporal lobes and of the orbitofrontal cortex, correctly classified BPD against HC. Notably, these circuits are affected by specific child traumatic experiences (emotional and physical neglect, and physical abuse) and predict symptoms severity in the interpersonal and impulsivity domains. These results support that BPD is characterized by anomalies in both GM and WM circuits related to early traumatic experiences and specific symptoms.

Dysregulated brains. Data fusion machine learning approaches in search for a biomarker for the borderline personality

Presentation

Nov 2022

Alessandro Grecucci

Introduction Borderline personality disorder is a severe mental illness characterized by dysregulated emotions (De Panfilis, 2019; Grecucci et al., 2022). As such, the study of this disorder can shed light on the psychological and brain mechanisms responsible for the failure to regulate emotions. Previous morphometric studies of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) reported inconsistent alterations in cortical and subcortical areas due to methodological limitations, and their relations with the etiological factors leading to dysregulated behaviors was not clarified (Dadomo et al., 2022; Grecucci et al., 2022; Lapomarda et a., 2021). In this talk I will report results from three studies to advance our knowledge of the neural bases of Borderline Personality disorder, and how specific brain circuits are affected by life traumatic experiences and support specific dysregulated emotions and behaviors in adulthood. - OMISSIS - Conclusion These results support the idea that BPD is characterized by anomalies in several cortico-subcortical circuits. Moreover, they shed light on how traumatic early life experiences may affect specific brain circuits, and how these abnormal circuits may maintain symptoms in adult BPD. As such, these results can pave the way for new treatment interventions to target specific trauma- and symptoms-related neural circuits

Adverse Childhood Experiences: Neurostructural, Neurofunctional, and Behavioral Changes

Article

Jan 2021

ADHD Symptoms, Peer Problems, and Emotion Dysregulation as Longitudinal and Concurrent Predictors of Adolescent Borderline Personality Features

Article

Full-text available

Nov 2022
J Attention Disord

Julia D. McQuade

Objective ADHD and borderline personality (BP) disorder are highly comorbid and characterized by emotion dysregulation and peer problems. However, limited research has examined social and emotional predictors of BP features in samples that include youth with ADHD. Method Using a sample of 124 youth with and without ADHD (52% female), ADHD symptoms, peer problems, and emotion dysregulation were assessed in childhood (8–13 years) and in adolescence, along with BP features (13–18 years). Results In addition to the significant effect of ADHD symptoms, teacher-rated child peer victimization and adolescent-reported peer victimization, poorer close friendships, and emotion dysregulation domains significantly predicted adolescent BP features. Greater parent-rated child and adolescent emotion dysregulation domains also significantly predicted adolescent BP features, with ADHD symptoms no longer significant. Conclusion Even for youth with ADHD, peer and emotional vulnerabilities in childhood and adolescence may serve as important markers of risk for adolescent BP features.

The Interaction Between POMC rs2071345 Polymorphism and Alcohol Dependence in Anxiety Symptoms Among Chinese Male Problem Drinkers

Article

Full-text available

May 2022

Objective Alcohol dependence can increase the level of anxiety. A growing body of research has identified a link between anxiety symptoms of problem drinkers and their genetic or environment factors, respectively. However, to date few studies have directly examined gene-environment (G × E) interaction on their anxiety symptoms during the acute alcohol withdrawal. The present study aims to examine the interaction between the proopiomelanocortin (POMC) rs2071345 polymorphism and alcohol dependence on anxiety symptoms of male problem drinkers, and further test the exact form of interaction on two competing models: the diathesis-stress model vs. the differential susceptibility model. Methods A total of 440 male problem drinkers (Mage = 44.5 years, SD = 9.45) were recruited from nine main psychiatric hospitals of northern China during acute alcohol withdrawal. Blood samples were collected for genotyping, self-reported anxiety symptoms, and levels of alcohol dependence were assessed. Results Results indicated that the POMC rs2071345 polymorphism significantly moderated anxiety symptoms associated with alcohol dependence. A region of significance (RoS) test showed that male problem drinkers with T allele were more likely to experience more anxiety symptoms than those with CC homozygote when the standardized score of concurrent alcohol dependence was above 0.31. Confirmatory model evaluation indicated that the interaction effect involving POMC gene polymorphism conformed to the diathesis-stress model rather than differential-susceptibility model of person × environment interaction. Conclusions This study suggested that the SNP in POMC rs2071345 was associated with alcohol dependence in anxiety symptoms of male problem drinkers and further provided evidence in support of the diathesis-stress hypothesis of alcohol dependence in terms of anxiety symptoms.

Borderline Personality Disorder: Risk Factors and Early Detection

Article

Full-text available

Nov 2021

Personality disorders (PDs) exert a great toll on health resources, and this is especially true for borderline personality disorder (BPD). As all PDs, BPD arises during adolescence or young adulthood. It is therefore important to detect the presence of this PD in its earlier stages in order to initiate appropriate treatment, thus ameliorating the prognosis of this condition. This review aims to highlight the issues associated with BPD diagnosis in order to promote its early detection and treatment. To do so, we conducted a search on PubMed database of current evidence regarding BPD early diagnosis, focusing on risk factors, which represent important conditions to assess during young patient evaluation, and on diagnostic tools that can help the clinician in the assessment process. Our findings show how several risk factors, both environmental and genetic/neurobiological, can contribute to the onset of BPD and help identify at-risk patients who need careful monitoring. They also highlight the importance of a careful clinical evaluation aided by psychometric tests. Overall, the evidence gathered confirms the complexity of BDP early detection and its crucial importance for the outcome of this condition.

Experiencias Adversas en la Niñez: Modificaciones Neuro-Estructurales, Neuro-Funcionales y Comportamentales

Article

Nov 2021

Se realizó una revisión sistemática de las publicaciones que han estudiado la relación entre la exposición a experiencias adversas en la niñez (EAN) y los cambios en la estructura y función encefálica a través de neuroimágenes. Para la búsqueda de publicaciones se usaron las bases de datos Scopus, PubMed, Scielo, y Mendeley. Se encontraron 849 artículos que contenían las palabras clave, de los cuales 122 cumplieron los criterios de inclusión. Estas investigaciones evaluaron 8498 personas expuestas a adversidades, como maltrato, abuso sexual, violencia doméstica, institucionalización y pobreza. Se hallaron alteraciones significativas en la estructura, función y conectividad de 21 áreas corticales y subcorticales, sobresaliendo la corteza prefrontal, amígdala, hipocampo, corteza cingulada anterior y estriado. Estas se pueden agrupar en cuatro sistemas neuro-comportamentales implicados en el procesamiento sensorial, la valoración afectiva, las inferencias sociales y el control ejecutivo, los cuales se ven afectados por la exposición a las EAN incrementando el riesgo para el desarrollo de problemas mentales. En la discusión se aborda la importancia de considerar las variaciones genéticas, las condiciones ambientales y la moderación epigenética para comprender mejor cómo las EAN alteran los sistemas neuro-comportamentales. Esta compresión permitirá diseñar estrategias de intervención y prevención más eficientes y sectorizadas hacia las poblaciones vulnerables. En conclusión, los estudios con neuroimagen en personas expuestas a adversidad durante la niñez demuestran la afectación de redes neurales implicadas en el procesamiento perceptual, afectivo, social y ejecutivo.

Adverse Childhood Experiences: Neurostructural, Neurofunctional, and Behavioral Changes

Preprint

Full-text available

Aug 2021

A systematic review was conducted of publications on the relationship between exposure to adverse childhood experiences (ACE) and changes in brain structure and function through neuroimaging. The Scopus, PubMed, Scielo, and Mendeley databases were used to search for publications. This process yielded 849 articles containing the keywords used, of which 122 met the inclusion criteria. These studies tested 8498 people exposed to adversities such as maltreatment, sexual abuse, domestic violence, institutionalization, and poverty. The studies found significant alterations in the structure, function, and connectivity of 21 cortical and subcortical areas. The prefrontal cortex, amygdala, hippocampus, anterior cingulate cortex, and striatum were the most cited. These areas constitute four neuro-behavioral systems involved in sensory processing, affective assessment, social inferences, and executive control, whose exposure to ACE increases the risk of developing mental problems. The discussion addresses the importance of considering genetic variations, environmental conditions, and epigenetic moderation to understand how ACE alters neuro-behavioral systems. This approach will make it possible to design more efficient intervention and prevention strategies targeted at vulnerable populations. In conclusion, neuroimaging research on people exposed to childhood adversity demonstrates the impairment of neural networks involved in perceptual, affective, social, and executive processing. Estudios en roedores y primates han comprobado que la exposición temprana a situaciones amenazantes, como la separación materna, aislamiento social y castigos físicos, alteran el desarrollo encefálico al activar recurrentemente la respuesta de estrés (León Rodríguez & Dueñas, 2013; McLaughlin et al., 2014). En humanos, al conjunto de experiencias amenazantes que suceden entre los primeros años postnatales y el inicio de la pubertad se le ha denominado experiencias adversas durante la niñez (EAN; Naicker et al., 2017). A pesar de la abundante literatura sobre la relación entre la morfología y fisiología cerebral en personas expuestas a EAN, faltan trabajos que integren de forma comprensiva la relación entre el estrés temprano, la organización cerebral y el funcionamiento psicológico. Por ello, en este escrito se presentarán: (a) una revisión Diego Armando León Rodríguez https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9694-7044 Luís Fernando Cárdenas Parra https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8826-6211 La correspondencia relativa a este artículo debe ser dirigida a

Testing the Link Between Mothers' General Reflective Function Capacity and Adolescent Borderline Personality Features: Perceived Parenting Behaviors as a Potential Mechanism

Article

Jan 2021
J PERS DISORD

Impairments in mothers' reflective function (RF), the ability to imagine the mental states of the self and others, underlies maladaptive parenting strategies, which have been associated with borderline personality disorder (BPD). The current study evaluated the association between mother's RF and adolescents' BPD and the mediating role of a range of parenting behaviors. Five hundred and thirty-one inpatient adolescents and their mothers participated in the current study. A multimethod assessment of BPD was used alongside mothers' self-reported quality of RF. Children completed three questionnaires about maternal parenting behaviors. There was no direct relation between mother's RF capacity and adolescents' BPD. However, mothers' adaptive certainty about mental states related to less severe BPD in adolescents, specifically through decreases in inconsistent punishment. Mothers' RF capacity predicted various parenting behaviors, which was associated with adolescents' BPD severity. Implications of findings for early intervention and prevention are discussed.

Oxytocin Receptor Gene (OXTR) and Childhood Adversity Influence Trust

Article

Aug 2020
PSYCHONEUROENDOCRINO

Early-life environments have been associated with various social behaviors, including trust, in late adolescence and adulthood. Given that the oxytocin receptor gene polymorphism (OXTR rs53576) moderates the impact of childhood experience on social behaviors, in the present study, we examined the main effect of childhood adversity through a self-report measure and its interactions with OXTR rs53576 on general trust among 203 Japanese and 200 European Canadian undergraduate students. After controlling for the effect of culture, the results indicated that childhood adversity had a negative association with general trust, and that OXTR rs53576 moderated the impact of childhood adversity on general trust. Specifically, the negative association between childhood adversity and general trust is only significant among homozygote A-allele carriers. These findings demonstrated that OXTR rs53576 moderated the relations between childhood experiences and social functioning in early adulthood.

The Etiology of Maternal Postpartum Depressive Symptoms: Childhood Emotional Maltreatment, Couple Relationship Satisfaction, and Genes

Article

Full-text available

May 2020

There is a call for integrative studies examining the roles of biological and psychosocial factors and their interrelations in shaping maternal postpartum psychopathology. Using longitudinal data from 198 primiparous mothers, we tested a biopsychosocial model for the etiology of maternal postpartum depressive symptoms that integrated childhood emotional maltreatment, couple relationship satisfaction, and oxytocin and dopamine D4 receptor genes (i.e., OXTR rs53576 and DRD4). Results indicate (a) two indirect effects from childhood emotional maltreatment and DRD4 to depressive symptoms at 1 year postpartum through couple relationship satisfaction at 6 months postpartum; (b) an interactive effect between DRD4 and couple relationship satisfaction at 6 months postpartum in predicting depressive symptoms at 1 year postpartum, which is in concert with the differential susceptibility hypotheses; and (c) no mediating effects or moderating effects (after adjusting for multiple testing with Bonferroni correction) involving OXTR rs53576. Notably, all associations were identified after controlling for several key covariates (e.g., maternal prenatal depressive symptoms). Last, robustness of the currently identified interactive effect involving DRD4 was demonstrated by an extensive set of additional analyses considering the effects of rGE, G by Covariates, and/or E by Covariates. Taken altogether, this study represents one of the initial efforts for a more sophisticated portrayal of how nature and nurture forces may work in conjunction with each other to shape new mothers’ psychopathology. Yet given the current modest sample size and candidate gene approach, our findings are preliminary, should be cautiously interpreted, and need to be replicated with more rigorous designs.

Trastorno límite de la personalidad (TLP): características, etiología y tratamiento

Article

Nov 2019

Resumen El trastorno límite de personalidad (TLP) se ha considerado como el paradigma de trastorno severo de la personalidad. Los principales síntomas son el comportamiento suicida, la autolesión no suicida, el comportamiento agresivo y la reactividad emocional. El inicio del TLP depende de la combinación de factores genéticos y ambientales, especialmente de la vulnerabilidad biológica y la exposición a experiencias traumáticas durante la infancia. Entre sus características destacan las alteraciones en la percepción de posibles amenazas y rechazo social, las interacciones emoción-cognición y alteraciones de la cognición social, la importancia del estrés social y la mentalización. En el aspecto neurobiológico destacan alteraciones del volumen de diversas estructuras cerebrales, metabolismo cerebral, alteraciones funcionales y de la conectividad funcional. Los trastornos psiquiátricos comórbidos más frecuentes en los pacientes con TLP son ansiedad, trastornos afectivos, trastorno por déficit de atención e hiperactividad, trastorno de estrés postraumático y abuso de sustancias. En lo que se refiere al tratamiento, destacan las técnicas psicológicas, como la terapia conductual dialéctica y la EMDR, pero es frecuente la utilización de fármacos eficaces para síntomas específicos, como agresividad/hostilidad o falta de control de los impulsos.

Implementing Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Training With at-Risk Male Youth in a Military-Style Residential Program

Article

Full-text available

Jul 2019
COGN BEHAV PRACT

Recent calls to action rightly emphasize the need for early and preventative intervention for youth at risk for or currently exhibiting borderline personality disorder (BPD) features, nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI), and/or suicidality. However, there is a lack of information in both the research literature and clinical practice guidelines about the acceptability and effectiveness of such interventions for male youth, particularly those who have dropped out of high school and, thus, are at even greater risk for a multitude of adverse psychological and functional outcomes. The current study aims to address this gap by examining the acceptability and pilot efficacy of a modified Dialectical Behavior Therapy for Adolescents (DBT-A) skills training group intervention among a sample of 73 non-treatment-seeking male youth (aged 16–18) with borderline personality features, self-harm, or suicidal ideation who had dropped out of high school and were enrolled in a military-style residential program (relative to youth participating in the residential program alone). Both quantitative and qualitative feedback from youth point to the high acceptability of DBT-A skills training with this population. Within-subjects and between-groups comparisons support the preliminary efficacy of DBT-A skills training with this population. At posttreatment, participants reported statistically significant decreases in emotion regulation (ER) difficulties (d = 0.43) and increases in distress tolerance (d = -0.50). Further, compared to a similar group of male youth who did not receive DBT-A skills training, those who received skills training showed greater improvements in ER difficulties, albeit not distress tolerance. Data from this pilot trial provide preliminary support for the efficacy of brief, stand-alone DBT-A skills training in improving ER difficulties in a high-risk group of male youth.

Associations Between Oxytocin Receptor Gene (OXTR) Polymorphisms, Childhood Trauma, and Parenting Behavior

Article

Full-text available

Jul 2019

Maternal oxytocin is connected to aspects of parenting including sensitivity, warmth, positive affect, and affectionate touch. Oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR) polymorphisms are associated with circulating oxytocin levels, altered brain activity, and parenting behaviors. This study aimed to replicate prior work on OXTR single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) rs1042778 and rs53576 in relation to maternal sensitivity, explore associations with other aspects of parenting (i.e., negative parenting), evaluate observational and self-report measures of parenting in relation to OXTR SNPs, and examine whether childhood trauma exposure moderates the relation between OXTR SNPs and parenting. Mothers (N = 100) were observed during 2 teaching interaction tasks with their 7-month-old infant, completed questionnaire and interview measures related to parenting and trauma history, and provided saliva specimens to derive OXTR genotypes. Mothers with OXTR rs1042778 TT genotypes demonstrated lower behavioral sensitivity, lower engagement, higher intrusiveness, and more frequent frightened/frightening behavior than mothers with TG or GG genotypes. Genotype interacted with childhood trauma history such that mothers who had experienced childhood trauma were more likely to demonstrate frightened/frightening behavior if they had the TT genotype on rs1042778 relative to the TG or GG genotype; however, small cell sizes for this interaction suggest replication is warranted. Contrary to expectations, mothers with the TT genotype on rs1042778 self-reported that they had less impaired bonding than mothers with TG or GG genotypes. Results are discussed with respect to prior work with oxytocin in lower versus higher risk samples, and the potential role of mothers’ self-awareness in explaining discrepancies between results from observational versus self-report measures of parenting.

Presentation

Sep 2018

Psychopathological consequences of maltreatment among children and adolescents: A systematic review of the GxE literature

Article

Jun 2018
RES DEV DISABIL

Background: In the last years, several studies focused on the role of Gene-Environment interactions (GxE) in influencing psychopathological outcomes among maltreated children and adolescents. These studies analysed the effect of different genetic variations. Aims: The aim of the present review is to provide an overview of studies investigating GxE effects among maltreated children and adolescents. Methods and procedures: A systematic literature review was performed by using the following keywords: "Child maltreatment" and "GxE", "Child maltreatment" and "Psychopathology", "Gene-Environment interaction", "Gene-environment correlation", "GxE and psychopathology", "Childhood trauma" and "Psychiatric symptoms", "Early adverse life events", "Early life stress", "Antisocial behaviour", "Depression", "Internalizing symptoms", through the following electronic databases: PubMed, Scopus and PsycINFO, from 2006 to 2017, finding a total of 31 papers. Outcomes and results: The present review confirm that maltreatment produces worse psychopathological outcomes (antisocial behaviour, depression, and other psychiatric traits) in subjects with a specific genetic vulnerability. Conclusions and implications: Comprehending the pathways from child maltreatment to psychopathology in their full complexity will be essential to build efficacious preventive and therapeutic protocols.

Effect of Maternal Borderline Personality Disorder on Adolescents' Experience of Maltreatment and Adolescent Borderline Features

Article

Full-text available

Nov 2017

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a severe and chronic mental illness. Self-reported borderline features correlate highly with a diagnosis (affective instability, negative relationships, unstable sense of self, self-harm). Etiological factors of BPD include childhood maltreatment. The current study compared the experience of maltreatment in adolescent offspring of mothers with BPD, who are themselves at risk of developing the disorder, with that of offspring of mothers with no current diagnosis. Participants were 56 adolescents aged 14 to 18 years. In all, 93% of the adolescents whose mothers had BPD experienced maltreatment compared with 60% of comparisons. Specifically, adolescent offspring of mothers with BPD experienced more physical abuse, emotional abuse, and neglect, but not more sexual abuse, than did comparisons. Dimensions of maltreatment (severity, multiple subtypes, chronicity) were associated with adolescents’ own total borderline features. We discuss implications for the intergenerational transmission of BPD and for clinical interventions.

The Role of Oxytocin and Vasopressin in People with Borderline Personality Disorder: A Closer Look at Adolescents

Article

Full-text available

Nov 2024
INT J MOL SCI

Borderline personality disorder constitutes a significant medical challenge. Despite the fact that its occurrence among adolescents is currently attracting increasing interest from both clinicians and researchers, there is still insufficient data on this phenomenon. The etiology and maintenance of borderline personality disorder are not yet fully comprehended. Neuropeptides, including oxytocin and vasopressin, are considered to be involved in the development of this condition. The mechanism behind the actions of these neurohormones requires further investigation. Our work aims to collect and analyze the available research and existing hypotheses on the role of oxytocin and vasopressin in people with borderline personality disorder, with special attention drawn to adolescents suffering from this condition.

The interplay between borderline personality disorder and oxytocin: a systematic narrative review on possible contribution and treatment options

Article

Full-text available

Jul 2024

Background Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a complex mental health condition marked by instability in mood, relationships, self-image, and behavior. Individuals with BPD often struggle with intense emotions, impulsivity, and maintaining stable relationships. Oxytocin, known as the "love hormone" or "bonding hormone," plays a crucial role in social bonding, trust, empathy, and emotional regulation and its dysregulation may contribute to BPD difficulties. This systematic review aims to analyze existing literature, examining the intricate interplay and encouraging future research and treatment strategies. Methods A systematic search of Literature in PubMed, Embase and Psychinfo, without any language or time restriction, was performed until March 2024 combining thesaurus and free-search indexing terms related to “borderline personality disorder” and “oxytocin”, producing 310 results (77 in PubMed, 166 in Embase and 67 in Psychinfo). Ninety-four full texts were analyzed, and 70 articles were included in qualitative analysis. Results Oxytocin may influence attachment styles, parental behaviors, and stress responses, particularly in individuals with a history of childhood trauma. The interaction between oxytocin, genetics, early life experiences, and environmental factors contributes to the complexity of BPD. Genetic variations in the oxytocin receptor gene may influence social and emotional abilities and contribute to the development of psychopathology. Additionally, early adverse experiences, such as childhood maltreatment, can alter oxytocin functioning, impacting social cognition and emotional regulation.However, oxytocin's role in BPD treatment remains uncertain, with some studies suggesting potential benefits for specific symptoms like social threat avoidance, while others indicate adverse effects on nonverbal behavior and mentalizing. Conclusion Understanding oxytocin's role in BPD offers insights into potential therapeutic interventions. While oxytocin-based treatments may hold promise for addressing specific symptoms, further research is needed.

Borderline Personality Disorder

Chapter

Dec 2023

The Mood, Mother and Child Study: Protocol for a Prospective Longitudinal Study and Randomized Controlled Trial

Article

Full-text available

Oct 2023

Background Perinatal depression affects >400,000 mother-child dyads in the United States every year and is associated with numerous adverse maternal and child developmental outcomes. Previous research implicates the dysregulation of oxytocin and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis functioning in mothers and children as potential mechanisms mediating or moderating the transmission of risk associated with maternal depression. Objective The Mood, Mother and Child study will examine the psychobiological sources of risk and resilience within mother-child dyads affected by maternal depression. This manuscript describes (1) the study rationale and aims, (2) the research design and procedures and how they were altered in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and (3) the data analysis plan to test the study hypotheses. Methods This is a prospective longitudinal study with an embedded randomized controlled trial that examines (1) correlations among postpartum depression and anxiety symptoms, maternal and child oxytocin and HPA axis functioning, and child developmental outcomes and (2) the causal relationship between exogenous oxytocin and HPA reactivity. This study is funded by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development with institutional review board approval. Results Recruitment and data collection have commenced, and the expected results will be available in 2024. Analyses are presented for testing the proposed hypotheses. Conclusions The unique combination of a prospective longitudinal research design with an embedded randomized controlled trial will allow the Mood, Mother and Child study to apply a developmental lens to the study of maternal depression and anxiety symptoms from birth to middle childhood and the psychobiological mechanisms promoting risk and resiliency for both mother and child outcomes. This will be the first study that simultaneously evaluates (1) the role of oxytocin using multiple methodologies, (2) the causal relationships between exogenous oxytocin and HPA axis functioning among mothers with differing levels of depression and anxiety symptoms, and (3) the multiple mediating and moderating roles of parenting behaviors and maternal and child psychobiological characteristics. The goals of these aims are to provide insights into the psychobiological effects of oxytocin in women and inform future clinical trials to treat perinatal mood disorders. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03593473; https://classic.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03593473 International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID) DERR1-10.2196/51132

Etiopatogenesis in the Development of Borderline Personality Charecteristics in Children and Adolescents

Article

Jan 2023
TURK PSIKIYATR DERG

Two Grey-White Matter Circuits Separate Borderline Personality Disorder From Controls and Mediate the Relationship Between Specific Childhood Traumas and Symptoms. A mCCA+jICA and Random Forest Approach

Preprint

Full-text available

Feb 2023

Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is a severe personality disorder whose neural bases are still unclear. Indeed, previous studies reported inconsistent findings concerning alterations in cortical and subcortical areas. In the present study we applied for the first time an unsupervised machine learning approach known as mCCA+jICA, in combination with a supervised machine learning approach known as Random Forest, to possibly find covarying GM-WM circuits that sep- arate BPD from controls and that are also predictive of this diagnosis. To this aim, we analyzed the structural images of patients with BPD and matched HCs. Results showed that two GM-WM covarying circuits, including basal ganglia, amygdala, and portions of the temporal lobes and of the orbitofrontal cortex, correctly classified BPD against HC. Notably, these circuits are affected by spe- cific child traumatic experiences (emotional and physical neglect, and physical abuse) and predict symptoms severity in the interpersonal and impulsivity domains. These results support that BPD is characterized by anomalies in GM and WM circuits related to early traumatic experiences and spe- cific symptoms.

Risk Factors of Early Onset of Borderline Personality Disorder: A Conceptual Model

Chapter

Sep 2022

Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is a distressing and multifaceted mental disorder associated with serious functional impairment. Although BPD pathology emerges during adolescence, diagnosis is often delayed since clinicians have trouble distinguishing this personality disorder from physiological developmental crises and fear the risk of stigma and prejudice. However, evidence shows that young people can benefit from early intervention after a scrupulous diagnosis. In order to improve the process of early diagnosis and intervention, a fundamental issue is recognition of risk factors and precursors of BPD. Recently, several antecedents of this disorder have been identified and studied, including precocious environmental factors, temperamental traits, early psychopathological characteristics, and neurobiological correlates. Considering the whole of these factors, we proposed a conceptual model to characterize a high-risk population with early onset of BPD. The purpose is to help clinicians to detect early manifestations and to support preventive strategies.KeywordsBorderline personality disorderEarly onsetRisk factorsTemperamentEarly treatments

Oxytocin: An Old Hormone, A Novel Psychotropic Drug And Possible Use In Treating Psychiatric Disorders

Article

Jul 2022

Background Oxytocin is a nonapeptide synthesized in the paraventricular and supraoptic nuclei of the hypothalamus. Historically, this molecule has been involved as a key factor in the formation of infant attachment, maternal behavior and pair bonding and, more generally, in linking social signals with cognition, behaviors and reward. In the last decades, the whole oxytocin system has gained a growing interest as it was proposed to be implicated in etiopathogenesis of several neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric disorders. Methods With the main goal of an in-depth understanding of the oxytocin role in the regulation of different functions and complex behaviors as well as its intriguing implications in different neuropsychiatric disorders, we performed a critical review of the current state of art. We carried out this work through PubMed database up to June 2021 with the search terms: 1) “oxytocin and neuropsychiatric disorders”; 2) “oxytocin and neurodevelopmental disorders”; 3) “oxytocin and anorexia”; 4) “oxytocin and eating disorders”; 5) “oxytocin and obsessive-compulsive disorder”; 6) “oxytocin and schizophrenia”; 7) “oxytocin and depression”; 8) “oxytocin and bipolar disorder”; 9) “oxytocin and psychosis”; 10) “oxytocin and anxiety”; 11) “oxytocin and personality disorder”; 12) “oxytocin and PTSD”. Results Biological, genetic, and epigenetic studies highlighted quality and quantity modifications in the expression of oxytocin peptide or in oxytocin receptor isoforms. These alterations would seem to be correlated with a higher risk of presenting several neuropsychiatric disorders belonging to different psychopathological spectra. Collaterally, the exogenous oxytocin administration has shown to ameliorate many neuropsychiatric clinical conditions. Conclusion Finally, we briefly analyzed the potential pharmacological use of oxytocin in patient with severe symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection due to its anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidative and immunoregulatory properties.

Oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR) polymorphisms and social, emotional and behavioral functioning in children and adolescents: A systematic narrative review

Article

Feb 2022
NEUROSCI BIOBEHAV R

This study systematically reviewed available evidence regarding associations between polymorphisms of the oxytocin receptor (OXTR) gene and socio-emotional and behavioral functioning in children and adolescents. The search yielded 69 articles, which were grouped into nine categories: depression, anxiety, and internalizing symptoms, alcohol abuse, borderline personality disorder, conduct disorder symptoms or diagnosis, autism spectrum disorder, Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, early childhood attachment and behavior, pro-social skills, and resilience. Direct and/or gene x environment interactions were identified in over half of the studies. ASD and conduct disorder (including callous unemotional traits) were the diagnoses that were most studied and for which there was the strongest evidence of direct links with OXTR polymorphisms. In most studies identifying gene x environment interactions, the candidate OXTR polymorphism was rs53576. Results suggest that OXTR polymorphisms are associated with social, emotional or behavioural functioning in children and adolescents. The mixed findings do, however, highlight the need for further research.

Early Life Adversity and Males: Biology, Behavior, and Implications for Fathers’ Parenting

Article

Jan 2022
NEUROSCI BIOBEHAV R

Fathers have an important and unique influence on child development, but influences on fathers’ parenting have been vastly understudied in the scientific literature. In particular, very little empirical research exists on the effects of early life adversity (ELA; e.g. childhood maltreatment, parental separation) on later parenting among fathers. In this review, we draw from both the human and non-human animal literature to examine the effects of ELA, specifically among males, in the following areas: 1) neurobiology and neurocognitive functioning, 2) hormones and hormone receptors, 3) gene-environment interactions and epigenetics, and 4) behavior and development. Based on these findings, we present a conceptual model to describe the biological and behavioral pathways through which exposure to ELA may influence parenting among males, with a goal of guiding future research and intervention development in this area. Empirical studies are needed to improve understanding of the relationship between ELA and father’s parenting, inform the development of paternal and biparental interventions, and prevent intergenerational transmission of ELA.

Systematic review reveals multiple sexually antagonistic polymorphisms affecting human disease and complex traits

Article

Full-text available

Nov 2021

An evolutionary model for sex differences in disease risk posits that alleles conferring higher risk in one sex may be protective in the other. These sexually antagonistic (SA) alleles are predicted to be maintained at frequencies higher than expected under purifying selection against unconditionally deleterious alleles, but there are apparently no examples in humans. Discipline‐specific terminology, rather than a genuine lack of such alleles, could explain this disparity. We undertook a two‐stage review of evidence for SA polymorphisms in humans using search terms from (i) evolutionary biology and (ii) biomedicine. While the first stage returned no eligible studies, the second revealed 51 genes with sex‐opposite effects, 22 increased disease risk or severity in one sex but protected the other. Those with net positive effects occurred at higher frequencies. None were referred to as SA. Our review reveals significant communication barriers to fields as a result of discipline‐specific terminology. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved

Neurodevelopmental Aspects of Suicide

Chapter

May 2021

Andreas Chatzittofis

In this chapter, we are going to discuss about suicide and suicidal behavior from a developmental aspect. In the beginning, we will discuss definitions of suicide and suicidal behavior and known risk factors. The stress-diathesis model of suicidal behavior is going to be presented and describe the course of the suicide process from a neurodevelopmental perspective. Known and promising biomarkers integrated to suicidal process will be analyzed. Focus is going to be on key neurobiological systems such as the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, the serotonin system, and the oxytocin system. The central role of childhood adversity on neurodevelopment and the impact on suicide will be presented through a genetic and an epigenetic perspective. Finally, we will close the chapter with recommendations for treatment as well as prevention. At the end of the chapter, there is a case study presentation followed by discussion to illustrate a real-life example of suicidal behavior.

Potential Therapeutic Possibility of Oxytocin for Borderline Personality Disorder

Article

Mar 2021

Zuzana Vancova

Many symptoms of patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD) involve deficits in socioemotional functioning, such as hypersensitivity for social threats and reduced trust. Standard psychopharmacological medications regarding treatment of this usually chronic disorder have only limited benefit. During recent years, scientists have developed interest in oxytocin, generally known as prosocial hormone, as a possible modulator of socio-emotional functions in BPD. Many patients with BPD report experiences of adversity early in life, and insecure attachment is a common finding in these patients. These factors may have lasting effects on the brain, including the oxytocin system. BPD may be strongly related to dysregulations in the oxytocin system, and oxytocin may have the potency to pharmacologically ameliorate symptomatology of BPD. This article reviews the most salient information available about oxytocin in relation to pathophysiology and potential treatment of BPD. [ Psychiatr Ann . 2021;51(3):141–146.]

Trauma exposure, posttraumatic stress disorder and oxytocin: A meta-analytic investigation of endogenous concentrations and receptor genotype

Article

Full-text available

Aug 2019
NEUROSCI BIOBEHAV R

Oxytocin's stress-reducing and social functions suggest an involvement in trauma processing and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). We searched PubMed, PubPsych, PsycINFO, PsycARTICLES, Web of Science, ProQuest and ClinicalTrials.gov for studies assessing endogenous oxytocin, oxytocin receptor genotype or methylation in traumatized humans. Eligible studies (k = 66) were systematically described. We meta-analytically compared oxytocin parameters between traumatized and non-traumatized individuals (k = 17) and individuals with and without PTSD (k = 8), and correlated oxytocin with trauma exposure (k = 16) and PTSD symptoms (k = 8). Endogenous oxytocin concentrations did not differ between PTSD patients and healthy individuals. The remaining effects on endogenous oxytocin were heterogeneous. Subgroup analyses identified sampling-related, trauma-related and demographic moderators, resulting in inconsistent or non-significant effects. Methylation data were insufficient for meta-analyses, and meta-analytic genotype results were inconsistent. Unstimulated endogenous oxytocin was not a biomarker for trauma exposure or PTSD. Given the impact of methodology, more basic research on endogenous oxytocin measurements is needed. Future studies might consider the oxytocin stress response and investigate oxytocin longitudinally.

The intergenerational transmission of childhood maltreatment: Non-specificity of maltreatment type and associations with borderline personality pathology

Article

Full-text available

Apr 2019
DEV PSYCHOPATHOL

One generation's experience of childhood maltreatment is associated with that of the next. However, whether this intergenerational transmission is specific to distinct forms of maltreatment and what factors may contribute to its continuity remains unclear. Borderline personality pathology is predicted by childhood maltreatment and characterized by features (e.g., dysregulated emotion, relationship instability, impulsivity, and inconsistent appraisals of others) that may contribute to its propagation. Among 364 older adults and 573 of their adult children (total n = 937), self-reported exposure to distinct forms of childhood maltreatment (i.e., emotional, physical, and sexual abuse, and emotional and physical neglect as assessed by the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire) showed homotypic and heterotypic associations across generations with little evidence that latent factors unique to specific forms of maltreatment show generational continuity. General nonspecific indices of childhood maltreatment showed evidence of intergenerational transmission after accounting for demographic factors and parent socioeconomic status ( b = 0.126, p = 9.21 × 10 ⁻⁴ ). This continuity was partially mediated by parental borderline personality pathology (assessed longitudinally through a variety of measures and sources, indirect effect: b = 0.031, 95% confidence interval [0.003, 0.060]). The intergenerational continuity of childhood maltreatment may largely represent general risk for nonspecific maltreatment that may, in part, be propagated by borderline personality pathology and/or shared risk factors.

Current Knowledge on Gene-Environment Interactions in Personality Disorders: an Update

Article

Full-text available

Aug 2018
Curr Psychiatr Rep

Purpose of review: We review the existing literature on gene-environment interactions (G×E) and epigenetic changes primarily in borderline personality disorder (BPD) but also in antisocial, schizotypal, and avoidant personality disorders. Recent findings: Research supports that susceptibility genes to BPD or its underlying traits may be expressed under certain environmental conditions such as physical or childhood sexual abuse. Epigenetic modifications of neurodevelopment- and stress-related genes are suggested to underlie the relationship between early life adversary and borderline personality disorder. Only limited studies have investigated the role of gene-environment interactions and epigenetic changes in the genesis of antisocial, schizotypal, and avoidant personality disorders. Considering the lack of pharmacological treatment for most personality disorders, the emerging evidence on the critical role of G×E and epigenetic changes in the genesis of personality disorders could help develop more biologically oriented therapeutic approaches. Future studies should explore the potential of this new therapeutic dimension.

Borderline personality disorder

Article

May 2018

Caretakers are often intimidated or alienated by patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD), compounding the clinical challenges posed by the severe morbidity, high social costs and substantial prevalence of this disorder in many health-care settings. BPD is found in â1.7% of the general population but in 15-28% of patients in psychiatric clinics or hospitals and in a large proportion of individuals seeking help for psychological problems in general health facilities. BPD is characterized by extreme sensitivity to perceived interpersonal slights, an unstable sense of self, intense and volatile emotionality and impulsive behaviours that are often self-destructive. Most patients gradually enter symptomatic remission, and their rate of remission can be accelerated by evidence-based psychosocial treatments. Although self-harming behaviours and proneness to crisis can decrease over time, the natural course and otherwise effective treatments of BPD usually leave many patients with persistent and severe social disabilities related to depression or self-harming behaviours. Thus, clinicians need to actively enquire about the central issues of interpersonal relations and unstable identity. Failure to correctly diagnose patients with BPD leads to misleading pharmacological interventions that rarely succeed. Whether the definition of BPD should change is under debate that is linked to not fully knowing the nature of this disorder. © 2018 Macmillan Publishers Limited, part of Springer Nature. All rights reserved.

Oxytocin and Borderline Personality Disorder

Chapter

Full-text available

Aug 2017

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a prevalent and severe mental disorder with affect dysregulation, impulsivity, and interpersonal dysfunction as its core features. Up to now, six studies have been performed to investigate the role of oxytocin in the pathogenesis of BPD. While a beneficial effect of oxytocin on threat processing and stress responsiveness was found, other studies using an oxytocin challenge design presented with rather heterogeneous results. Future studies have to include a sufficiently large sample of patients, control for gender, and focus on mechanisms known to be related to aversive early life experiences.

Variations in Patterns of Attraction to Same- and Other-Sex Peers During Early Adolescence

Article

Full-text available

Mar 2000

Differences in attraction to same- and other-sex peers as a function of sex, age, individual characteristics (i.e., aggression), and context were examined in a longitudinal study of early adolescent boys and girls (N = 217) that covered the transition from elementary school (Time 1) to middle school (Times 2 and 3). Consistent with T. Moffitt's (1993) concept of the “maturity gap,” attraction to aggressive peers, especially attraction to aggressive boys among girls, increased with age and upon entry to middle school, as did attraction to peers who stood out in the peer group in easily observable ways. Attraction to peers who presented features associated with good classroom-based behavior decreased. These patterns are discussed in terms of the developmental needs served by associating with particular peers.

L'impatto dello stress genitoriale sulla regolazione delle emozioni in bambini in età scolare: il ruolo moderatore dell'Environmental Sensitivity.

Article

Full-text available

Nov 1997

To foster the study of emotion regulation beyond infancy and toddlerhood, a new criterion Q-sort was constructed. In Study 1, Q-scales for emotion regulation and autonomy were developed, and analyses supported their discriminant validity. Study 2 further explored the construct validity of the Emotion Regulation Q-Scale within a sample of 143 maltreated and 80 impoverished children, aged 6 to 12 years. A multitrait–multimethod matrix and confirmatory factor analyses indicated impressive convergence among the Emotion Regulation Q-Scale and established measures of affect regulation. This new scale also was discriminable from measures of related constructs, including Q-sort assessments of ego resiliency. The use of this new measure was further supported by its ability to distinguish between maltreated and comparison children and between groups of well-regulated versus dysregulated children.

Defining child maltreatment: The interface between policy and research

Article

Full-text available

Jan 1993

Childhood Maltreatment and Its Effect on Neurocognitive Functioning: Timing and Chronicity Matter

Article

Full-text available

May 2015

Childhood maltreatment represents a complex stressor, with the developmental timing, duration, frequency, and type of maltreatment varying with each child (Barnett, Manly, & Cicchetti, 1993; Cicchetti & Manly, 2001). Multiple brain regions and neural circuits are disrupted by the experience of child maltreatment (Cicchetti & Toth, in press; DeBellis et al., 2002; McCrory & Viding, 2010; Teicher, Anderson, & Polcari, 2012). These neurobiological compromises indicate the impairment of a number of important cognitive functions, including working memory and inhibitory control. The present study extends prior research by examining the effect of childhood maltreatment on neurocognitive functioning based on developmental timing of maltreatment, including onset, chronicity, and recency, in a sample of 3- to 9-year-old nonmaltreated ( n = 136) and maltreated children ( n = 223). Maltreated children performed more poorly on inhibitory control and working-memory tasks than did nonmaltreated children. Group differences between maltreated children based on the timing of maltreatment and the chronicity of maltreatment also were evident. Specifically, children who were maltreated during infancy, and children with a chronic history of maltreatment, exhibited significantly poorer inhibitory control and working-memory performance than did children without a history of maltreatment. The results suggest that maltreatment occurring during infancy, a period of major brain organization, disrupts normative structure and function, and these deficits are further instantiated by the prolonged stress of chronic maltreatment during the early years of life.

Relational Interventions for Child Maltreatment: Past, Present, & Future Perspectives

Article

Full-text available

Nov 2013
DEV PSYCHOPATHOL

It is well established that child maltreatment has significant deleterious effects for the individual as well as for society. We briefly review research regarding the impact of child maltreatment on the attachment relationship, highlighting the need for relational interventions for maltreated children and their families to effectively thwart negative developmental cascades that are so often observed in the context of child maltreatment. Next, historical and contemporaneous perspectives on relational interventions for individuals with histories of child maltreatment are discussed, with attention to the empirical evidence for and the current evidence-based status of several relationally based interventions for child maltreatment. Differential sensitivity to the environment is then discussed as a theoretical framework with important implications for interventions for individuals who have been reared in maltreating environments. Current research on neurobiology and maltreatment is then reviewed, with an emphasis on the need for future investigations on genetic variants, epigenetics, and the efficacy of relational interventions for maltreated children. We conclude with a discussion of the tenets of developmental psychopathology, their implications for relational interventions for child maltreatment, and recommendations for advancing the development, provision, and evaluation of relational interventions for individuals with histories of child maltreatment.

Beyond risk, resilience, and dysregulation: Phenotypic plasticity and human development

Article

Full-text available

Nov 2013
DEV PSYCHOPATHOL

We provide a theoretical and empirical basis for the claim that individual differences exist in developmental plasticity and that phenotypic plasticity should be a subject of study in its own right. To advance this argument, we begin by highlighting challenges that evolutionary thinking poses for a science of development and psychopathology, including for the diathesis-stress framework that has (fruitfully) guided so much empirical inquiry on developmental risk, resilience, and dysregulation. With this foundation laid, we raise a series of issues that the differential-susceptibility hypothesis calls attention to, while highlighting findings that have emerged over just the past several years and are pertinent to some of the questions posed. Even though it is clear that this new perspective on Person × Environment interaction is stimulating research and influencing how hypotheses are framed and data interpreted, a great many topics remain that need empirical attention. Our intention is to encourage students of development and psychopathology to treat phenotypic plasticity as an individual-difference construct while exploring unknowns in the differential-susceptibility equation.

Identifying Children Who Are Rejected by Their Peers

Article

Full-text available

Jul 1986

Recent research indicates the importance of distinguishing between sociometrically neglected children and sociometrically rejected children. However, making the distinction between neglected status and rejected status traditionally has required administering a negative-nomination sociometric measure, a measure viewed by some researchers and school personnel as having potentially harmful effects. An alternative method of identifying rejected children is proposed and evaluated that involves the joint use of positive-nomination and rating-scale measures. Rating-scale, positive-nomination, and negative-nomination measures were administered to 747 children in Grades 2–6. The results indicate that the alternative method accurately identified a high percentage of rejected Ss (91.2%) and that the stability of rejected status, identified using the new method, is similar to that obtained in previous research. It is concluded that the method proposed should make it possible to identify rejected children when circumstances do not allow for the administration of a negative-nomination measure. (23 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)

The impact of subtype, frequency, chronicity, and severity of child maltreatment on social competence and behavior problems

Article

Full-text available

Dec 1994
DEV PSYCHOPATHOL

This investigation examined the impact of dimensions within maltreatment such as the severity, frequency, chronicity, and subtypes of maltreatment and their relationship with child outcome. Children between the ages of 5 and 11 who participated in a summer camp program were assessed on their social competence, behavior problems, and peers ratings of cooperation, disruption, and initiation of aggression. The 235 participants were all from low-socioeconomic status families; 145 children were from families with documented histories of child maltreatment, whereas 90 of the children had no record of maltreatment. The study found that severity of the maltreatment, the frequency of Child Protective Services reports, and the interaction between severity and frequency were significant predictors of children's functioning. Additionally, the chronicity of the maltreatment in the family significantly predicted peer ratings of aggression. Subtype differences emerged as well, with children in the sexual abuse group being more socially competent than other maltreated children, and children in the physical abuse group having more behavior problems than nonmaltreated children. Regression analyses with cooccurrence of multiple subtypes of maltreatment indicated that physical neglect, physical abuse, and sexual abuse made significant unique contributions in predicting child outcomes. The advantages of exploring multiple dimensions within maltreatment, the necessity of developing better operational definitions of these dimensions, and social policy implications of the findings are discussed.

Population Admixture Associated With Disease Prevalence in the Boston Puerto Rican Health Study

Article

Full-text available

Mar 2009

Older Puerto Ricans living in the continental U.S. suffer from higher rates of diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease and depression compared to non-Hispanic White populations. Complex diseases, such as these, are likely due to multiple, potentially interacting, genetic, environmental and social risk factors. Presumably, many of these environmental and genetic risk factors are contextual. We reasoned that racial background may modify some of these risk factors and be associated with health disparities among Puerto Ricans. The contemporary Puerto Rican population is genetically heterogeneous and originated from three ancestral populations: European settlers, native Taíno Indians, and West Africans. This rich-mixed ancestry of Puerto Ricans provides the intrinsic variability needed to untangle complex gene–environment interactions in disease susceptibility and severity. Herein, we determined whether a specific ancestral background was associated with either of four major disease outcomes (diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease, and depression). We estimated the genetic ancestry of 1,129 subjects from the Boston Puerto Rican Health Study based on genotypes of 100 ancestry informative markers (AIMs). We examined the effects of ancestry on tests of association between single AIMs and disease traits. The ancestral composition of this population was 57.2% European, 27.4% African, and 15.4% Native American. African ancestry was negatively associated with type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, and positively correlated with hypertension. It is likely that the high prevalence rate of diabetes in Africans, Hispanics, and Native Americans is not due to genetic variation alone, but to the combined effects of genetic variation interacting with environmental and social factors.

Prevalence of DSM-IV Borderline Personality Disorder in Two Community Samples: 6,330 English 11-Year-Olds and 34,653 American Adults

Article

Full-text available

Oct 2011

This study had two main objectives. The first was to assess the prevalence of DSM-IV borderline personality disorder and its constituent symptoms in a community sample of late-latency children. The second was to compare these rates to those found in a community sample of American adults. A birth cohort of 6,330 11-year-old children in Bristol, England, was interviewed concerning borderline psychopathology in 2002-2004. A community sample of 34,653 American adults was interviewed about borderline psychopathology in 2004-2005. Rates of chronic emptiness, physically self-damaging acts, and stormy relationships were very similar in both samples (<2% difference). However, a significantly higher percentage of children than adults reported being angry and moody. In contrast, a significantly higher percentage of adults than children reported being paranoid/dissociated, having a serious identity disturbance, being impulsive, and making frantic efforts to avoid abandonment. In addition, a significantly higher percentage of adults than children met DSM-IV criteria for BPD (5.9% vs. 3.2%). Statistically significant but clinically minor gender differences were also found between girls and boys as well as men and women. Taken together, the results of this study suggest that late-latency children are about half as likely as adults to meet DSM-IV criteria for BPD. They also suggest that gender does not play a defining role in symptom expression.

A Critical Review of the First 10 Years of Candidate Gene-by-Environment Interaction Research in Psychiatry

Article

Full-text available

Sep 2011
AM J PSYCHIAT

Gene-by-environment interaction (G×E) studies in psychiatry have typically been conducted using a candidate G×E (cG×E) approach, analogous to the candidate gene association approach used to test genetic main effects. Such cG×E research has received widespread attention and acclaim, yet cG×E findings remain controversial. The authors examined whether the many positive cG×E findings reported in the psychiatric literature were robust or if, in aggregate, cG×E findings were consistent with the existence of publication bias, low statistical power, and a high false discovery rate. The authors conducted analyses on data extracted from all published studies (103 studies) from the first decade (2000-2009) of cG×E research in psychiatry. Ninety-six percent of novel cG×E studies were significant compared with 27% of replication attempts. These findings are consistent with the existence of publication bias among novel cG×E studies, making cG×E hypotheses appear more robust than they actually are. There also appears to be publication bias among replication attempts because positive replication attempts had smaller average sample sizes than negative ones. Power calculations using observed sample sizes suggest that cG×E studies are underpowered. Low power along with the likely low prior probability of a given cG×E hypothesis being true suggests that most or even all positive cG×E findings represent type I errors. In this new era of big data and small effects, a recalibration of views about groundbreaking findings is necessary. Well-powered direct replications deserve more attention than novel cG×E findings and indirect replications.

Differential Susceptibility to the Environment: A neurodevelopmental Theory

Article

Full-text available

Feb 2011
DEV PSYCHOPATHOL

Two extant evolutionary models, biological sensitivity to context theory (BSCT) and differential susceptibility theory (DST), converge on the hypothesis that some individuals are more susceptible than others to both negative (risk-promoting) and positive (development-enhancing) environmental conditions. These models contrast with the currently dominant perspective on personal vulnerability and environmental risk: diathesis stress/dual risk. We review challenges to this perspective based on emerging theory and data from the evolutionary, developmental, and health sciences. These challenges signify the need for a paradigm shift in conceptualizing Person x Environment interactions in development. In this context we advance an evolutionary--neurodevelopmental theory, based on DST and BSCT, of the role of neurobiological susceptibility to the environment in regulating environmental effects on adaptation, development, and health. We then outline current thinking about neurogenomic and endophenotypic mechanisms that may underpin neurobiological susceptibility, summarize extant empirical research on differential susceptibility, and evaluate the evolutionary bases and implications of BSCT and DST. Finally, we discuss applied issues including methodological and statistical considerations in conducting differential susceptibility research; issues of ecological, cultural, and racial--ethnic variation in neurobiological susceptibility; and implications of differential susceptibility for designing social programs. We conclude that the differential susceptibility paradigm has far-reaching implications for understanding whether and how much child and adult development responds, for better and for worse, to the gamut of species-typical environmental conditions.

Inference of Population Structure Using Multilocus Genotype Data: Linked Loci and Correlated Allele Frequencies

Article

Aug 2003
GENETICS

We describe extensions to the method of Pritchard et al. for inferring population structure from multilocus genotype data. Most importantly, we develop methods that allow for linkage between loci. The new model accounts for the correlations between linked loci that arise in admixed populations (“admixture linkage disequilibium”). This modification has several advantages, allowing (1) detection of admixture events farther back into the past, (2) inference of the population of origin of chromosomal regions, and (3) more accurate estimates of statistical uncertainty when linked loci are used. It is also of potential use for admixture mapping. In addition, we describe a new prior model for the allele frequencies within each population, which allows identification of subtle population subdivisions that were not detectable using the existing method. We present results applying the new methods to study admixture in African-Americans, recombination in Helicobacter pylori, and drift in populations of Drosophila melanogaster. The methods are implemented in a program, structure, version 2.0, which is available at http://pritch.bsd.uchicago.edu.

Research Review: The neurobiology and genetics of maltreatment and adversity

Article

Jan 2011

Failures in the expectable environment and their impact on individual development: The case of child maltreatment

Article

Jan 1995

The role of child maltreatment in early deviations in cognitive and affective processing abilities and later peer relationship problems

Article

Jan 1995

A Multilevel Perspective on the Development of Borderline Personality Disorder

Chapter

Feb 2016

This chapter provides an update of the mentalizing approach to borderline personality disorder (BPD). We present a multilevel approach to BPD from a developmental psychopathology life-span perspective, discussing developmental pathways involved in the emergence of BPD from infancy to adolescence and (young) adulthood, locating the origins of the social cognition or mentalizing impairments typical of BPD patients in attachment disruptions. We also discuss in this context emerging findings stressing the importance of gene–environment transactions in BPD, and research findings concerning the neurobiology of impairments in mentalizing and attachment in these patients. Finally, we outline mentalization-based treatment for BPD and we present a new view on the mechanisms of change in the treatment of BPD rooted in extant theories concerning the intergenerational transmission of social knowledge and social learning, suggesting that this mechanism may be the missing link that connects and is shared by all effective treatments of BPD.

Parenting and children's brain development: the end of the beginning

Article

Apr 2011

After questioning the practical significance of evidence that parenting influences brain development - while highlighting the scientific importance of such work for understanding how family experience shapes human development - this paper reviews evidence suggesting that brain structure and function are 'chiselled' by parenting. Although the generalisability of most findings is limited due to a disproportionate, but understandable focus on clinical samples (e.g., maltreated children with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)) and causal inferences are difficult to draw because of the observational nature of most of the evidence, it is noteworthy that some work with community samples and very new experimental work (e.g., parent training) suggests that tentative conclusions regarding effects of parenting on the developing brain may well be substantiated in future research. Such efforts should focus on parenting in the normal range, experimental manipulations of parenting, differential susceptibility to parenting effects and pathway models linking parenting to brain development and, thereby, to behavioural development. Research on parenting and children's brain development may be regarded as at 'the end of the beginning'.

For better and for worse: Differential susceptibiilty to environmental influences

Article

Dec 2007

Evidence that adverse rearing environments exert negative effects particularly on children presumed "vulnerable" for temperamental or genetic reasons may actually reflect something else: heightened susceptibility to the negative effects of risky environments and to the beneficial effects of supportive environments. Building on Belsky's (1997, 2005) evolutionary-inspired proposition that some children are more affected-both for better and for worse-by their rearing experiences than are others, we consider recent work on child vulnerability, including that involving measured genes, along with evidence showing that putatively vulnerable children are especially susceptible to both positive and negative rearing effects. We also consider methodological issues and unanswered questions in the differential-susceptibility equation.

Continuities and Changes in Children’s Social Status. A Five-Year Longitudinal Study

Article

Jan 1983

Problems and solutions to conducting research in maltreating families: An autobiographical perspective

Article

Jan 1990

Multilevel developmental perspectives on child maltreatment

Article

Nov 2015
DEV PSYCHOPATHOL

Multilevel developmental perspectives on child maltreatment - Volume 27 Issue 4pt2 - Dante Cicchetti, Sheree L. Toth

An Ecological-Transactional Perspective on Child Maltreatment: Failure of the Average Expectable Environment and Its Influence on Child Development

Article

Sep 2015

The notion of an average expectable environment for promoting normal development proposes that there are species-specific ranges of environmental conditions that elicit normative developmental processes. This chapter provides a review of child maltreatment. Of particular salience is the growing contribution of neurobiological and genetic research to the study of child maltreatment, such that ontogenic development can be considered from both psychological and neurobiological perspectives. The ecological-transactional model of child maltreatment explains how processes at each level of ecology exert reciprocal influences on each other and shape the course of child development. The extent of variation in personality characteristics and personality organization among maltreated children represents an area of investigation that has recently gained attention in the maltreatment literature. The maladaptive trajectories of maltreated children diverge from those of nonmaltreated children over time such that maltreated children's problems become more severe as children get older, especially in peer relationships.

Childhood Abuse, Household Dysfunction, and the Risk of Attempted Suicide Throughout the Life Span

Article

Dec 2001

Context Suicide is a leading cause of death in the United States, but identifying persons at risk is difficult. Thus, the US surgeon general has made suicide prevention a national priority. An expanding body of research suggests that childhood trauma and adverse experiences can lead to a variety of negative health outcomes, including attempted suicide among adolescents and adults.Objective To examine the relationship between the risk of suicide attempts and adverse childhood experiences and the number of such experiences (adverse childhood experiences [ACE] score).Design, Setting, and Participants A retrospective cohort study of 17 337 adult health maintenance organization members (54% female; mean [SD] age, 57 [15.3] years) who attended a primary care clinic in San Diego, Calif, within a 3-year period (1995-1997) and completed a survey about childhood abuse and household dysfunction, suicide attempts (including age at first attempt), and multiple other health-related issues.Main Outcome Measure Self-reported suicide attempts, compared by number of adverse childhood experiences, including emotional, physical, and sexual abuse; household substance abuse, mental illness, and incarceration; and parental domestic violence, separation, or divorce.Results The lifetime prevalence of having at least 1 suicide attempt was 3.8%. Adverse childhood experiences in any category increased the risk of attempted suicide 2- to 5-fold. The ACE score had a strong, graded relationship to attempted suicide during childhood/adolescence and adulthood (P<.001). Compared with persons with no such experiences (prevalence of attempted suicide, 1.1%), the adjusted odds ratio of ever attempting suicide among persons with 7 or more experiences (35.2%) was 31.1 (95% confidence interval, 20.6-47.1). Adjustment for illicit drug use, depressed affect, and self-reported alcoholism reduced the strength of the relationship between the ACE score and suicide attempts, suggesting partial mediation of the adverse childhood experience–suicide attempt relationship by these factors. The population-attributable risk fractions for 1 or more experiences were 67%, 64%, and 80% for lifetime, adult, and childhood/adolescent suicide attempts, respectively.Conclusions A powerful graded relationship exists between adverse childhood experiences and risk of attempted suicide throughout the life span. Alcoholism, depressed affect, and illicit drug use, which are strongly associated with such experiences, appear to partially mediate this relationship. Because estimates of the attributable risk fraction caused by these experiences were large, prevention of these experiences and the treatment of persons affected by them may lead to progress in suicide prevention.

Borderline Personality Features in Childhood: The Role of Subtype, Developmental Timing and Chronicity of Child Maltreatment

Article

Aug 2014

Child maltreatment has been established as a risk factor for borderline personality disorder (BPD), yet few studies consider how maltreatment influences the development of BPD features through childhood and adolescence. Subtype, developmental timing, and chronicity of child maltreatment were examined as factors in the development of borderline personality features in childhood. Children (M age = 11.30, SD = 0.94), including 314 maltreated and 285 nonmaltreated children from comparable low socioeconomic backgrounds, provided self-reports of developmentally salient borderline personality traits. Maltreated children had higher overall borderline feature scores, had higher scores on each individual subscale, and were more likely to be identified as at high risk for development of BPD through raised scores on all four subscales. Chronicity of maltreatment predicted higher overall borderline feature scores, and patterns of onset and recency of maltreatment significantly predicted whether a participant would meet criteria for the high-risk group. Implications of findings and recommendations for intervention are discussed.

Oxytocin receptor gene polymorphism, perceived social support, and psychological symptoms in maltreated adolescents

Article

Mar 2014
DEV PSYCHOPATHOL

Despite the detrimental consequences of child maltreatment on developmental processes, some individuals show remarkable resilience, with few signs of psychopathology, while others succumb to dysfunction. Given that oxytocin has been shown to be involved in social affiliation, attachment, social support, trust, empathy, and other social or reproductive behaviors, we chose to examine the possible moderation of maltreatment effects on perceived social support and on psychological symptoms by a common single nucleotide polymorphism (rs53576) in the oxytocin receptor gene. We studied adolescents (N = 425) aged approximately 13-15, including participants with objectively documented maltreatment histories (N = 263) and a nonmaltreated comparison group from a comparable low socioeconomic status background (N = 162). There was a significant genotype by maltreatment interaction, such that maltreated adolescents with the G/G genotype perceived significantly lower social support compared to maltreated A-carriers, with no effect of genotype in the comparison group. Maltreated G/Gs also reported higher levels of internalizing symptoms than did A-carriers, even though they did not differ from them on objective measures of maltreatment (type, duration, or severity). G/G homozygotes may be more attuned to negative social experiences, such as family maltreatment, while maltreated A-carriers were indistinguishable from nonmaltreated adolescents in levels of mental health symptoms.

Illustrative Developmental Psychopathology Perspectives on Precursors and Pathways to Personality Disorder: Commentary on the Special Issue

Article

Feb 2014

Dante Cicchetti

Gene × Environment Interaction Studies Have Not Properly Controlled for Potential Confounders: The Problem and the (Simple) Solution

Article

Oct 2013

Matthew C. Keller

Candidate gene × environment (G × E) interaction research tests the hypothesis that the effects of some environmental variable (e.g., childhood maltreatment) on some outcome measure (e.g., depression) depend on a particular genetic polymorphism. Because this research is inherently nonexperimental, investigators have been rightly concerned that detected interactions could be driven by confounders (e.g., ethnicity, gender, age, socioeconomic status) rather than by the specified genetic or environmental variables per se. In an attempt to eliminate such alternative explanations for detected G × E interactions, investigators routinely enter the potential confounders as covariates in general linear models. However, this practice does not control for the effects these variables might have on the G × E interaction. Rather, to properly control for confounders, researchers need to enter the covariate × environment and the covariate × gene interaction terms in the same model that tests the G × E term. In this manuscript, I demonstrate this point analytically and show that the practice of improperly controlling for covariates is the norm in the G × E interaction literature to date. Thus, many alternative explanations for G × E findings that investigators had thought were eliminated have not been.

Oxytocin receptor distribution re炉ects social organization in monogamous and polygamous voles

Article

Jul 1992

The neuropeptide oxytocin has been implicated in the mediation of several forms of affiliative behavior including parental care, grooming, and sex behavior. Here we demonstrate that species from the genus Microtus (voles) selected for differences in social affiliation show contrasting patterns of oxytocin receptor expression in brain. By in vitro receptor autoradiography with an iodinated oxytocin analogue, specific binding to brain oxytocin receptors was observed in both the monogamous prairie vole (Microtus ochrogaster) and the polygamous montane vole (Microtus montanus). In the prairie vole, oxytocin receptor density was highest in the prelimbic cortex, bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, nucleus accumbens, midline nuclei of the thalamus, and the lateral aspects of the amygdala. These brain areas showed little binding in the montane vole, in which oxytocin receptors were localized to the lateral septum, ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus, and cortical nucleus of the amygdala. Similar differences in brain oxytocin receptor distribution were observed in two additional species, the monogamous pine vole (Microtus pinetorum) and the polygamous meadow vole (Microtus pennsylvanicus). Receptor distributions for two other neurotransmitter systems implicated in the mediation of social behavior, benzodiazepines, and mu-opioids did not show comparable species differences. Furthermore, in the montane vole, which shows little affiliative behavior except during the postpartum period, brain oxytocin receptor distribution changed within 24 hr of parturition, concurrent with the onset of maternal behavior. We suggest that variable expression of the oxytocin receptor in brain may be an important mechanism in evolution of species-typical differences in social bonding and affiliative behavior.

Manual for the Teacher''s Report Forms and 1991 Profile

Article

Jan 1991

Thomas Achenbach

For Better and For Worse

Article

Dec 2007

Evidence that adverse rearing environments exert negative effects particularly on children presumed “vulnerable” for temperamental or genetic reasons may actually reflect something else: heightened susceptibility to the negative effects of risky environments and to the beneficial effects of supportive environments. Building on Belsky's (1997, 2005) evolutionary-inspired proposition that some children are more affected—both for better and for worse—by their rearing experiences than are others, we consider recent work on child vulnerability, including that involving measured genes, along with evidence showing that putatively vulnerable children are especially susceptible to both positive and negative rearing effects. We also consider methodological issues and unanswered questions in the differential-susceptibility equation.

Children's Depression Inventory Manual

Article

Jan 1992

Maria Kovacs

The Children''s Depression Inventory: A self-rated depression scale for school-aged youngsters

Article

Jan 1985
Psychopharmacol Bull

Maria Kovacs

How a child builds a brain: Insights from normality and psychopathology

Article

Jan 2002

Dante Cicchetti

The author begins by providing a brief historical perspective on the ways in which brain-behavior relations have been viewed in the field of developmental psychology. He then examines some of the changing theoretical perspectives, empirical discoveries, and technological advances that have played a major role in rejuvenating scientific interest in investigating the relations between neurobiological and behavioral development in normal persons and in individuals who are at high risk for, or who have, mental disorders. Next, the author provides a historical and present-day perspective on normal brain development on humans. In the penultimate section of the chapter, schizophrenia disorders are used to elucidate insights that can be gained on normal brain development from psychopathology, as well as to illustrate how knowledge of normal neural development can provide important insights into the genesis and epigenesis of this serious mental disorder. Finally, the author concludes by proferring future interdisciplinary research directions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)

Child Maltreatment: Implications for Developmental Theory and Research

Article

Jan 1996
HUM DEV

Dante Cicchetti

Developmental theories can be affirmed, challenged, and augmented by incorporating knowledge about atypical ontogenesis. Because investigations of human behavior are restricted by difficulties associated with compromising the integrity of the individual’s biological and psychological functioning, it becomes valuable to draw on the potential afforded by ‘experiments of nature’. Examination of individuals with high-risk conditions and psychopathological disorders can provide an entrée into the study of system organization, disorganization, and reorganization. In this article, child maltreatment is examined to illustrate the benefit that can be derived from the study of individuals subjected to nonnormative caregiving experiences. The relevance of research on maltreatment to several important aspects of developmental theory is explicated.

The Multiple Determinants of Parenting

Article

Jan 2006

This chapter outlines changing models of the causes of child abuse. It underscores one of the core themes of developmental psychopathology, namely, the interrelation of normality and pathology. By focusing on parental dysfunction, the chapter points out that an understanding of the determinants of parental dysfunction can illuminate forces fostering more competent and growth-promoting parenting. The chapter considers the changing conceptions of the causes of child maltreatment. It then outlines a model of the determinants of parenting that Belsky advanced almost two decades ago but that still serves to guide much research. Belsky's model serves as the overarching framework guiding the review in the remainder of the chapter. The review focuses on work concerned with development and parenting within the normal range, as well as with psychopathology and disturbances in parenting. The chapter highlights that there is ample theoretical reason to expect that neighborhood conditions should affect parenting.

Relationships between children and teachers: Associations with classroom and home behavior

Article

Jul 1991
J APPL DEV PSYCHOL

This article reports the results of a study using a measure of the relationship between teachers and students: the Student-Teacher Relationship Scale (STRS). In a sample of 72 kindergarten children the STRS was found to have three factors: Secure, Improved, and Dependent. The total scale as well as subscales based on the factor analysis all had alpha reliabilities exceeding .60. Boys and girls did not differ on STRS scores. Relationships characterized by security were related to child affection toward mothers, and competence behaviors in the home and in kindergarten and first grade. Dependent relationships between teachers and children were related to child negativity with mothers, acting-out behaviors in the home, and behavior problems in school. Relationships showing improvement in kindergarten were related to positive adjustment in first grade. The results are discussed in terms of research on adult-child relationships and implications for applied questions.

The role of limbic system irritability in linking history of childhood maltreatment and psychiatric outcomes in low-income, high-risk women: Moderation by FK506 binding protein 5 haplotype

Article

Nov 2012
DEV PSYCHOPATHOL

Childhood maltreatment is associated with lasting changes in neuroendocrine regulation, alterations in brain structure and function, and symptoms of "limbic irritability." Limbic irritability symptoms include somatic, sensory, and behavioral phenomena and may stem from increased excitatory neurotransmission following maltreatment. We tested the hypotheses that child maltreatment is indirectly associated with depressive and dissociative symptomatology via indicators of limbic irritability and that variation within the FK506 binding protein 5 gene (FKBP5), a gene involved in glucorticoid receptor functioning, moderates these effects. The sample consisted of high-risk, low-income women (N = 236) living in an inner-city environment. Child maltreatment, limbic irritability, and symptoms of depression and dissociation were measured cross-sectionally using self-report assessments. Haplotype analyses were conducted across four FKBP5 single nucleotide polymorphisms: rs3800373, rs9296158, rs1360870, and rs9470080. Path analysis using bootstrapping procedures was performed to test hypotheses regarding indirect and conditional indirect effects. We found significant indirect effects of maltreatment on depression (β = 0.088, p < .01) and dissociation (β = 0.105, p < .01) via limbic irritability. In addition, variation within FKBP5 moderated these significant indirect effects. For individuals with one to two copies of the CATT haplotype, the indirect effects of maltreatment on depression (β = 0.137, p < .01) and dissociation (β = 0.132, p < .01) via limbic irritability were significant, whereas the indirect paths were not significant for individuals with no copies of this haplotype (depression: β = 0.037, p > .05; dissociation: β = 0.002, p > .05). These results add to the growing evidence that child maltreatment may lead to symptoms of internalizing psychopathology through its impact on the limbic system. In addition, this study revealed a potential role of FKBP5 gene variants in contributing to risk for limbic system dysfunction.

The Role of Child Maltreatment in Early Deviations in Cognitive and Affective Processing Abilities and Later Peer Relationship Problems

Article

Sep 1995
DEV PSYCHOPATHOL

Despite considerable research demonstrating the adverse consequences of child maltreatment, including a heightened risk for adaptational failures and psychopathology, longitudinal evaluations of processes contributing to negative outcomes have been limited. Problems in peer relations constitute a critical developmental risk for future maladaptation among maltreated children, transferring relationship disturbance from the family to new interpersonal contexts. The linkages of a history of child maltreatment to early deviations in cognitive/affective processes, which subsequently lead to difficulties in peer relations were examined. Specifically, in a sample of 46 maltreated and 43 nonmaltreated low-income children, laboratory assessments of affect understanding and cognitive control functioning were conducted, followed by later peer and teacher assessments of peer relations in the school setting. Maltreated children were shown to evidence early deviations in their understanding of negative affect as well as immaturity in their cognitive controls. Maltreated children also were shown to have lower social effectiveness and higher levels of undercontrolled and aggressive behavior in the school setting. Physically abused children were found to be more rejected by their peers. Cognitive control functioning partially mediated the effect of maltreatment on later social effectiveness. Negative affect understanding mediated both the relation of maltreatment on later dysregulated behavior in the peer setting and the effect of physical abuse on later rejection by peers. The results are discussed in terms of their support for organizational/transactional theory and the implications they have for prevention and intervention.

Editorial: Multiple levels of analysis

Article

Sep 2002
DEV PSYCHOPATHOL

In a recent article, Cowan, Harter, and Kandel (2000) concluded that much of the success and excitement engendered by modern neuroscience can be attributed to the incorporation of several previously independent disciplines into one intellectual framework. During the 1950s and 1960s, neuroanatomy, neurochemistry, neuropharmacology, and neurophysiology, disciplines that had largely functioned in a separate and distinct fashion, gradually merged into a unified field of neuroscience. The penultimate step in the coalescence of neuroscience occurred in the early 1980s, when neuroscience integrated with molecular biology and molecular genetics. The confluence of these fields enabled scientists to understand the genetic basis of neurological diseases for the first time without requiring foreknowledge of the underlying biochemical abnormalities. The final phase of the merger of neuroscience into a single discipline took place in the mid-1980s, when cognitive psychology joined with neuroscience, leading to the formation of cognitive neuroscience.

Association between childhood maltreatment and adult emotional dysregulation in a low-income, urban, African American sample: Moderation by oxytocin receptor gene

Article

May 2011
DEV PSYCHOPATHOL

The ability to effectively regulate emotions and a secure attachment style are critical for maintaining mental health across the life span. The experience of childhood maltreatment interferes with normal development of emotional regulation and dramatically increases risk for a wide range of psychiatric disorders in adulthood. The central nervous system oxytocin systems are critically involved in mediating social attachment and buffering psychophysiological responses to stress. We therefore investigated the impact of childhood maltreatment and an oxytocin receptor (OXTR) single nucleotide polymorphism (rs53576) and their interaction on emotional dysregulation and attachment style in adulthood in a sample of low-income, African American men and women recruited from primary care clinics of an urban, public hospital. Consistent with prior research, we found that the severity of childhood maltreatment was associated with increased levels of emotional dysregulation in adulthood. Childhood maltreatment was also positively associated with ratings of disorganized/unresolved adult attachment style and negatively associated with ratings of secure adult attachment style. There was no direct association between rs53576 and emotional dysregulation or ratings of adult attachment style. However, there were significant interactions between rs53576 and childhood maltreatment in predicting level of adult emotional dysregulation and attachment style. Specifically, G/G genotype carriers were at risk for increased emotional dysregulation when exposed to three or more categories of childhood abuse. In addition, G/G genotype carriers exhibited enhanced disorganized adult attachment style when exposed to severe childhood abuse compared to A/A and A/G carriers. Our findings suggest that A allele carriers of OXTR rs53576 are resilient against the effects of severe childhood adversity, by protection against emotional dysregulation and disorganized attachment.

Preoccupied and Avoidant Coping During Middle Childhood

Article

Jun 2008
CHILD DEV

Prior research on attachment to caregivers during middle childhood has failed to include assessments of the divergent coping styles that insecure attachment can take. In this study, self-report scales were developed to assess children's preoccupied coping (strong need for mother during stress but inability to be soothed by her) and avoidant coping (denial of need for mother and avoidance of her during stress). The scales were administered to 229 boys and girls in the third through seventh grades (mean age 11.3 years) and were associated in theoretically meaningful ways with peers' reports of the children's adjustment at school. The advantage of including assessments of coping style in studies of attachment-adjustment relations in middle childhood is noted.

Teacher‐child relationships and the process of adjusting to school

Article

Sep 1992
New Dir Child Adolesc Dev

Michael Steinberg Advanced doctoral student

Child-teacher relationships show wide-ranging patterns based on affective valence and engagement and are a unique part of school adjustment.

Cognitive Representations of Self, Family, and Peers in School‐Age Children: Links with Social Competence and Sociometric Status

Article

Oct 1995
CHILD DEV

Attachment and social-cognitive theories of interpersonal relations have underscored the integral role that internalized cognitive representations may play as mediators of the link between family and peer relationships. 3 predictions consistent with this conceptualization received support in the present study of 161 7–12-year-old school children. In Part 1 of the study, significant connections were found among different components of cognitive representations, including social perceptions, interpersonal expectancies, and schematic organization and processing of social information. Moreover, generalization was found among children's representations across 3 interpersonal domains–that is, family, peer, and self. In Part 2, negative representations of self and others were found to be associated with increased social impairment, including dysfunctional social behavior and less positive status in the peer group. Implications of the findings for theories of interpersonal competence and interventions with socially impaired children are discussed.

The “Little Five”: Exploring the Nomological Network of the Five‐Factor Model of Personality in Adolescent Boys

Article

Feb 1994
CHILD DEV

The California Child Q-set (CCQ) was used to explore the structure of personality in early adolescence and to develop scales to measure the “Big Five” dimensions: Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Neuroticism, and Openness to Experience. Mothers provided Q-sorts of 350 ethnically diverse boys between 12 and 13 years old. Analyses of the construct validity of the scales provided a nomological network relating the Big Five to theoretically and socially important criterion variables, such as juvenile delinquency, Externalizing and Internalizing disorders of childhood psychopathology, school performance, IQ, SES, and race. These effects were obtained using diverse methods, including self-reports from the boys, ratings by their mothers and their teachers, and objective-test data. In addition to the Big Five, analyses also suggested 2 possibly age-specific dimensions of personality in early adolescence. Discussion is focused on the changing manifestations of personality traits throughout development.

Falconer DS. The inheritance of liability to certain diseases, estimated from the incidence among relatives. Ann Hum Genet 29: 51-76

Article

Sep 2007
ANN HUM GENET

D. S. FALCONER

The impact of social experience on neurobiological systems: Illustration from a constructivist view of child maltreatment

Article

Sep 2002
COGNITIVE DEV

Dante Cicchetti

In this article, I highlight the discipline of developmental psychopathology as an integrative framework that builds upon the historical underpinnings of a constructivist perspective. After presenting illustrative developmental psychopathology principles that I consider to be central to a constructivist view, I turn my attention to the role of experience on brain development. This serves as the entree into a discussion of research conducted with maltreated children on brain event-related potentials (ERPs) and the cognitive processing of emotional stimuli, neuroendocrine functioning, and acoustic startle. Each of these components of brain functioning serve to underscore how different neurobiological systems reflect the way in which individuals ascribe meaning to traumatic experiences. Research on child maltreatment, an “experiment of nature,” reveals that maltreated children actively construct their reality at both the biological and psychological levels of analysis, at least in part based on the meaning these children impute to their caregiving experiences.

Sources of Cognitive Exploration: Genetic Variation in the Prefrontal Dopamine System Predicts Openness/Intellect

Article

Aug 2011

The personality trait Openness/Intellect reflects the tendency to be imaginative, curious, perceptive, artistic, and intellectual-all characteristics that involve cognitive exploration. Little is known about the biological basis of Openness/Intellect, but the trait has been linked to cognitive functions of prefrontal cortex, and the neurotransmitter dopamine plays a key role in motivation to explore. The hypothesis that dopamine is involved in Openness/Intellect was supported by examining its association with two genes that are central components of the prefrontal dopaminergic system. In two demographically different samples (children: N = 608; adults: N = 214), variation in the dopamine D4 receptor gene (DRD4) and the catechol-O-methyltransferase gene (COMT) predicted Openness/Intellect, as main effects in the child sample and in interaction in adults.

Hubisz MJ, Falush D, Stephens M, Pritchard JK.. Inferring weak population structure with the assistance of sample group information. Mol Ecol Res 9: 1322-1332

Article

Sep 2009
MOL ECOL RESOUR

Genetic clustering algorithms require a certain amount of data to produce informative results. In the common situation that individuals are sampled at several locations, we show how sample group information can be used to achieve better results when the amount of data is limited. New models are developed for the structure program, both for the cases of admixture and no admixture. These models work by modifying the prior distribution for each individual's population assignment. The new prior distributions allow the proportion of individuals assigned to a particular cluster to vary by location. The models are tested on simulated data, and illustrated using microsatellite data from the CEPH Human Genome Diversity Panel. We demonstrate that the new models allow structure to be detected at lower levels of divergence, or with less data, than the original structure models or principal components methods, and that they are not biased towards detecting structure when it is not present. These models are implemented in a new version of structure which is freely available online at http://pritch.bsd.uchicago.edu/structure.html.

Annual Research Review: Parenting and Children's Brain Development: The End of the Beginning

Article