title: Association between the arginine vasopressin receptor 1A (AVPR1A) gene and preschoolers' executive functioning.
abstract: Recent evidence implicates the arginine vasopressin (AVP) system in complex neuropsychological disorders which are characterized by deficits in executive functioning (EF). Despite the genetic contribution to EF, little is currently known about its molecular genetic basis. Drawing on research from social neuroscience and the role of related physiological systems in psychopathology, the current study hypothesized that variability in the AVP receptor 1a gene (AVPR1A) would be associated with EF in an epidemiological sample of 323 normally developing preschool-aged children. Using a family-based association design, the current study found that variability in the rs7298346 marker, located in the 5'-flanking region, was significantly related to a composite measure of EF in 4-year-old children after controlling for a variety of covariates and children's theory of mind. The converse association between AVPR1A and theory of mind (after controlling for EF) was not significant, suggesting a level of specificity in this relationship. The results are discussed in terms of the difficulties faced by genetic association studies in teasing apart the behavioral phenotypes that characterize complex psychological diseases and the involvement of multiple physiological systems in human behavior.
authors.affiliation: Department of Applied Psychology and Human Development, University of Toronto, 252 Bloor Street West, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1V6, Canada.
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wade
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Institute for Human Genetics, University of California at San Francisco, UCSF Box 0794, 513 Parnassus Avenue, S965, San Francisco, CA 94143-0794, United States.
authors.forename: Thomas J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Hoffmann
authors.affiliation: Department of Applied Psychology and Human Development, University of Toronto, 252 Bloor Street West, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1V6, Canada. Electronic address: jenny.jenkins@utoronto.ca.
authors.forename: Jennifer M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Jenkins
mesh_terms: D024506:5' Flanking Region; D002675:Child, Preschool; D056344:Executive Function / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D056726:Genetic Association Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; D017483:Receptors, Vasopressin / Q000235:genetics*; D056345:Theory of Mind / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D017483:Receptors, Vasopressin
keywords: AVPR1A gene; Child development; Executive functioning; Family-based association design; Genetic association