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Perceived Parenting Mediates Serotonin Transporter Gene (5-HTTLPR) and Neural System Function during Facial
Saori Nishikawa1, Tamotsu Toshima2, Masao Kobayashi1
1Department of Pediatrics, Graduate School of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima City, Hiroshima, Japan; Phoenix Leader Education Program, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima City, Hiroshima, Japan.
Plos One
|September 30, 2015
Summary
Early perceived parenting and specific gene variants influence brain activity during emotion recognition. Individuals with certain genotypes and higher maternal rejection showed reduced frontal activation, highlighting gene-environment interactions in neural responses.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Behavioral Genetics
- Psychophysiology
Background:
- Parenting styles can impact adult emotional processing and neural activity.
- Genetic variations, such as the 5-HTTLPR genotype, are implicated in emotional regulation.
- Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS) allows non-invasive measurement of prefrontal cortex oxygenation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between perceived parenting, 5-HTTLPR genotype, and prefrontal oxy-hemoglobin (oxy-Hb) levels during a facial-emotion recognition task.
- To test a mediational/moderational model examining gene-environment interactions on neural activation.
Main Methods:
- Fifty-three healthy adults underwent NIRS recording during a facial-emotion recognition task.
- Participants provided saliva samples for genotype analysis (5-HTTLPR) and completed the EMBU questionnaire assessing perceived parenting.
- Statistical analyses explored main effects, gene × environment interactions, and mediation effects.
Main Results:
- Maternal rejection showed a main effect on right frontal activation (RoxH).
- A significant gene × environment interaction indicated that SL/LL genotype carriers with higher perceived maternal rejection exhibited less right frontal activation.
- Perceived parenting style mediated the effect of the 5-HTTLPR genotype on right frontal activation.
Conclusions:
- Early perceived parenting experiences interact with genetic predispositions to influence neural activity in response to emotional stimuli.
- This suggests a gene-environment interplay affecting how individuals process uncertain emotional cues.
- Further research is needed to fully elucidate these complex gene-behavior-neural system links.
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