title: Inhibition of Attention for Affective Material: Contributions byHOMER1Gene Variation.
abstract: Failure to inhibit attention to irrelevant affective information has been linked to depression and rumination. However, few studies have investigated the biological bases of this process. Variation in theHOMER1gene was identified in a genome-wide association study as associated with major depressive disorder and is associated with executive functioning inefficiency. Several studies have linked variation in theBDNFgene with emotional and cognitive processes such as rumination. The current study examined the association between these two auspicious genetic variants and inhibition of attention for affective information. In Study 1, 60 psychiatrically healthy community participants completed a negative affective priming task with positive and negative words.HOMER1variation, but notBDNFvariation, was associated with difficulty inhibiting irrelevant negative information. These results were replicated in a second study utilizing a sample of 97 psychiatrically healthy young adults. Implications for the current literature and future directions are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Oklahoma State University, Department of Psychology, Stillwater, OK.
authors.forename: Tony T
authors.initials: TT
authors.lastname: Wells
authors.affiliation: Oklahoma State University, Department of Psychology, Stillwater, OK.
authors.forename: Matt R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Judah
authors.affiliation: University of California-Los Angeles, Semel Institute of Neuroscience and Human Behavior, Los Angeles, CA.
authors.forename: Alissa J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Ellis
authors.affiliation: Providence VA Medical Center, Providence, RI; Rhode Island Hospital, Division of Behavioral Genetics, Providence, RI; Brown University, Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Providence, RI.
authors.forename: John E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: McGeary
authors.affiliation: University of Texas at Austin, Department of Psychology and the Institute for Mental Health Research, Austin, TX.
authors.forename: Christopher G
authors.initials: CG
authors.lastname: Beevers
keywords: genes; genetics; inhibition; negative priming