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The role played by the interaction between genetic factors and attachment in the stress response in infancy

Alessandra Frigerio1, Elisa Ceppi, Marianna Rusconi

  • 1Eugenio Medea' Scientific Institute, Italy. alessandra.frigerio@bp.lnf.it

Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, and Allied Disciplines
|August 19, 2009
PubMed

Insights

Infant stress response involves genetics and attachment. Secure attachment, combined with specific gene variants (5-HTTLPR, GABRA6), influences alpha amylase levels, but not cortisol.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Psychology
  • Behavioral Genetics
  • Neuroendocrinology

Background:

  • Understanding individual differences in stress response is crucial for physical and mental health.
  • Environmental and biological factors significantly impact physiological stress reactions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the interplay of child-mother attachment and genetic polymorphisms in infant stress response.
  • To identify predictors of salivary cortisol and alpha amylase concentrations during the Strange Situation procedure.

Main Methods:

  • Assessed child-mother attachment security and genetic polymorphisms (5-HTTLPR, COMT, GABRA6) in 100+ healthy infants (12-18 months).
  • Measured salivary cortisol and alpha amylase as biomarkers of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) and sympathetic adrenomedullary (SAM) systems.
  • Analyzed data during the Strange Situation (SS) procedure.

Main Results:

  • Security of attachment interacted with 5-HTTLPR and GABRA6 polymorphisms to predict alpha amylase response to separation.
  • COMT gene polymorphism interacted with attachment to predict basal alpha amylase levels.
  • No significant effects of attachment, genetics, or their interaction were found on cortisol activity.

Conclusions:

  • Findings help differentiate the roles of genetic and environmental factors in infant stress response.
  • Suggests distinct response patterns between the HPA and SAM systems under stress.
Abstract

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