scholarly journals Interaction between Oxytocin Genotypes and Early Experience Predicts Quality of Mothering and Postpartum Mood

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leslie R. Atkinson ◽  
Viara Mileva-Seitz ◽  
Meir Steiner ◽  
Michael J. Meaney ◽  
Robert Levitan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Postpartum Depression ◽  
Maternal Behavior ◽  
Early Life ◽  
Depressive Symptomatology ◽  
Receptor Gene ◽  
Oxytocin Receptor Gene ◽  
Early Environment ◽  
Post Natal Depression

Individual differences in maternal behavior are affected by both early life experiences and oxytocin, but little is known about genetic variation in oxytocin genes and its effects on mothering. We examined two polymorphisms in the oxytocin peptide gene OXT (rs2740210 and rs4813627) and one polymorphism in the oxytocin receptor gene OXTR (rs237885) in 187 Caucasian mothers at six months postpartum. For OXT, both rs2740210 and rs4813627 significantly associated with maternal vocalizing to the infant. These polymorphisms also interacted with the quality of care mothers experienced in early life, to predict variation in maternal instrumental care and postpartum depression. However, postpartum depression did not mediate the gene-environment effects of the OXT SNPs on instrumental care. In contrast, the OXTR SNP rs237885 did not associate with maternal behavior, but it did associate with pre-natal (but not post-natal) depression score. The findings illustrate the importance of variation in oxytocin genes, both alone and in interaction with early environment, as predictors of individual differences in human mothering. Furthermore, depression does not appear to have a causal role on the variation we report in instrumental care. This suggests that variation in instrumental care varies in association with a gene-early environment effect regardless of current depressive symptomatology. Finally, our findings highlight the importance of examining multiple dimensions of human maternal behavior in studies of genetic associations.

scholarly journals Interaction between Oxytocin Genotypes and Early Experience Predicts Quality of Mothering and Postpartum Mood

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leslie R. Atkinson ◽  
Viara Mileva-Seitz ◽  
Meir Steiner ◽  
Michael J. Meaney ◽  
Robert Levitan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Postpartum Depression ◽  
Maternal Behavior ◽  
Early Life ◽  
Depressive Symptomatology ◽  
Receptor Gene ◽  
Oxytocin Receptor Gene ◽  
Early Environment ◽  
Post Natal Depression

Individual differences in maternal behavior are affected by both early life experiences and oxytocin, but little is known about genetic variation in oxytocin genes and its effects on mothering. We examined two polymorphisms in the oxytocin peptide gene OXT (rs2740210 and rs4813627) and one polymorphism in the oxytocin receptor gene OXTR (rs237885) in 187 Caucasian mothers at six months postpartum. For OXT, both rs2740210 and rs4813627 significantly associated with maternal vocalizing to the infant. These polymorphisms also interacted with the quality of care mothers experienced in early life, to predict variation in maternal instrumental care and postpartum depression. However, postpartum depression did not mediate the gene-environment effects of the OXT SNPs on instrumental care. In contrast, the OXTR SNP rs237885 did not associate with maternal behavior, but it did associate with pre-natal (but not post-natal) depression score. The findings illustrate the importance of variation in oxytocin genes, both alone and in interaction with early environment, as predictors of individual differences in human mothering. Furthermore, depression does not appear to have a causal role on the variation we report in instrumental care. This suggests that variation in instrumental care varies in association with a gene-early environment effect regardless of current depressive symptomatology. Finally, our findings highlight the importance of examining multiple dimensions of human maternal behavior in studies of genetic associations.

scholarly journals Polychlorinated biphenyl exposure alters oxytocin receptor gene expression and maternal behavior in rat model

2015 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. e979681 ◽  
Author(s):  
E Nicole Dover ◽  
David E Mankin ◽  
Howard C Cromwell ◽  
Vipaporn Phuntumart ◽  
Lee A Meserve
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Rat Model ◽  
Maternal Behavior ◽  
Polychlorinated Biphenyl ◽  
Receptor Gene ◽  
Oxytocin Receptor ◽  
Oxytocin Receptor Gene ◽  
Receptor Gene Expression

The interaction between oxytocin receptor gene methylation and maternal behavior on children's early theory of mind abilities

2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 511-519
Author(s):  
Anna L. MacKinnon ◽  
Nancy Feeley ◽  
Ian Gold ◽  
Barbara Hayton ◽  
Leonora King ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Theory Of Mind ◽  
Maternal Behavior ◽  
Maternal Education ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Receptor Gene ◽  
Community Sample ◽  
Mental States ◽  
Oxytocin Receptor ◽  
Early Theory ◽  
Oxytocin Receptor Gene

AbstractTheory of mind, the ability to represent the mental states of others, is an important social cognitive process, which contributes to the development of social competence. Recent research suggests that interactions between gene and environmental factors, such as oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR) polymorphisms and maternal parenting behavior, may underlie individual differences in children's theory of mind. However, the potential influence of DNA methylation of OXTR remains unclear. The current study investigated the roles of OXTR methylation, maternal behavior, and their statistical interaction on toddlers’ early emerging theory of mind abilities. Participants included a community sample of 189 dyads of mothers and their 2- to 3-year-old children, whose salivary DNA was analyzed. Results indicated that more maternal structuring behavior was associated with better performance, on a battery of three theory of mind tasks, while higher OXTR methylation within exon 3 was associated with poorer performance. A significant interaction also emerged, such that OXTR methylation was related to theory of mind among children whose mothers displayed less structuring, when controlling for children's age, sex, ethnicity, number of child-aged siblings, verbal ability, and maternal education. Maternal structuring behavior may buffer the potential negative impact of hypermethylation on OXTR gene expression and function.

scholarly journals Epigenetic dynamics in infancy and the impact of maternal engagement

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (10) ◽  
pp. eaay0680 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathleen M. Krol ◽  
Robert G. Moulder ◽  
Travis S. Lillard ◽  
Tobias Grossmann ◽  
Jessica J. Connelly
Keyword(s):  
Human Behavior ◽  
Receptor Gene ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Oxytocin Receptor ◽  
First Year ◽  
Oxytocin Receptor Gene ◽  
Early Environment ◽  
Nature Versus Nurture ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Regulatory Sites

The contribution of nature versus nurture to the development of human behavior has been debated for centuries. Here, we offer a piece to this complex puzzle by identifying the human endogenous oxytocin system—known for its critical role in mammalian sociality—as a system sensitive to its early environment and subject to epigenetic change. Recent animal work suggests that early parental care is associated with changes in DNA methylation of conserved regulatory sites within the oxytocin receptor gene (OXTRm). Through dyadic modeling of behavior and OXTRm status across the first year and a half of life, we translated these findings to 101 human mother-infant dyads. We show that OXTRm is dynamic in infancy and its change is predicted by maternal engagement and reflective of behavioral temperament. We provide evidence for an early window of environmental epigenetic regulation of the oxytocin system, facilitating the emergence of individual differences in human behavior.

scholarly journals Oxytocin Receptor Gene Polymorphism in Lactating Dogs

Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 3099
Author(s):  
Asahi Ogi ◽  
Valentina Naef ◽  
Filippo Maria Santorelli ◽  
Chiara Mariti ◽  
Angelo Gazzano
Keyword(s):  
Social Behavior ◽  
Maternal Behavior ◽  
Maternal Care ◽  
Receptor Gene ◽  
Oxytocin Receptor ◽  
Single Nucleotide ◽  
Oxytocin Receptor Gene ◽  
Receptor Gene Polymorphism ◽  
Polymorphic Variants ◽  
Evolution Of Mammals

Genetic variations in the oxytocinergic system, known to regulate social behavior throughout the evolution of mammals, are believed to account for differences in mammalian social behavior. Particularly, polymorphic variants of the oxytocin receptor (OXTR) gene have been associated with behavioral variations in both humans and dogs. In this study, we offered evidence of the correlation between levels of salivary oxytocin (sOXT), maternal behavior and a single-nucleotide gene variant in OXTR (rs8679684) in nineteen lactating Labrador Retriever dogs. Carriers of at least one copy of the minor A allele showed higher levels of sOXT and maternal care in comparison with the homozygous T allele carriers. Considering the relevance of mother care in newborn development, these findings could help us to better understand the possible impact of variants in the OXTR gene in selecting dams.

scholarly journals Epigenetic tuning of brain signal entropy in emergent human social behavior

BMC Medicine ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Meghan H. Puglia ◽  
Kathleen M. Krol ◽  
Manuela Missana ◽  
Cabell L. Williams ◽  
Travis S. Lillard ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Social Behavior ◽  
Social Perception ◽  
Epigenetic Modification ◽  
Receptor Gene ◽  
Saliva Sample ◽  
Behavioral Outcomes ◽  
Infant Behavior ◽  
Oxytocin Receptor Gene ◽  
And Behavior

Abstract Background How the brain develops accurate models of the external world and generates appropriate behavioral responses is a vital question of widespread multidisciplinary interest. It is increasingly understood that brain signal variability—posited to enhance perception, facilitate flexible cognitive representations, and improve behavioral outcomes—plays an important role in neural and cognitive development. The ability to perceive, interpret, and respond to complex and dynamic social information is particularly critical for the development of adaptive learning and behavior. Social perception relies on oxytocin-regulated neural networks that emerge early in development. Methods We tested the hypothesis that individual differences in the endogenous oxytocinergic system early in life may influence social behavioral outcomes by regulating variability in brain signaling during social perception. In study 1, 55 infants provided a saliva sample at 5 months of age for analysis of individual differences in the oxytocinergic system and underwent electroencephalography (EEG) while listening to human vocalizations at 8 months of age for the assessment of brain signal variability. Infant behavior was assessed via parental report. In study 2, 60 infants provided a saliva sample and underwent EEG while viewing faces and objects and listening to human speech and water sounds at 4 months of age. Infant behavior was assessed via parental report and eye tracking. Results We show in two independent infant samples that increased brain signal entropy during social perception is in part explained by an epigenetic modification to the oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR) and accounts for significant individual differences in social behavior in the first year of life. These results are measure-, context-, and modality-specific: entropy, not standard deviation, links OXTR methylation and infant behavior; entropy evoked during social perception specifically explains social behavior only; and only entropy evoked during social auditory perception predicts infant vocalization behavior. Conclusions Demonstrating these associations in infancy is critical for elucidating the neurobiological mechanisms accounting for individual differences in cognition and behavior relevant to neurodevelopmental disorders. Our results suggest that an epigenetic modification to the oxytocin receptor gene and brain signal entropy are useful indicators of social development and may hold potential diagnostic, therapeutic, and prognostic value.

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