Evidence for a gene-environment interaction in predicting behavioral inhibition in middle childhood.
Gene-environment interactions are presumed to shape human behavior during early development. However, no human research has demonstrated that such interactions lead to stable individual differences in fear responses. We tested this possibility by focusing on a polymorphism in the promoter region of the gene for the serotonin transporter (5-HTT). This polymorphism has been linked to many indices of serotonin activity. Specifically, we tested the hypothesis that an interaction between children's 5-HTT status and maternal reports of social support predicts inhibited behavior with unfamiliar peers in middle childhood. Results were consistent with this hypothesis: Children with the combination of the short 5-HTT allele and low social support had increased risk for behavioral inhibition in middle childhood.
Fox
Nathan A
NA
Department of Human Development, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA. fox@umd.edu
Nichols
Kate E
KE
Henderson
Heather A
HA
Rubin
Kenneth
K
Schmidt
Louis
L
Hamer
Dean
D
Ernst
Monique
M
Pine
Daniel S
DS
D002648:Child; D002652:Child Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007266:Inhibition, Psychological; D008297:Male; D009034:Mother-Child Relations; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D050486:Serotonin Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D012931:Social Environment; D012944:Social Support; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
D050486:Serotonin Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins