Epigenetic modification of OXT and human sociability.
Across many mammalian species there exist genetic and biological systems that facilitate the tendency to be social. Oxytocin is a neuropeptide involved in social-approach behaviors in humans and others mammals. Although there exists a large, mounting body of evidence showing that oxytocin signaling genes are associated with human sociability, very little is currently known regarding the way the structural gene for oxytocin (OXT) confers individual differences in human sociability. In this study, we undertook a comprehensive approach to investigate the association between epigenetic modification of OXT via DNA methylation, and overt measures of social processing, including self-report, behavior, and brain function and structure. Genetic data were collected via saliva samples and analyzed to target and quantify DNA methylation across the promoter region of OXT We observed a consistent pattern of results across sociability measures. People that exhibit lower OXT DNA methylation (presumably linked to higher OXT expression) display more secure attachment styles, improved ability to recognize emotional facial expressions, greater superior temporal sulcus activity during two social-cognitive functional MRI tasks, and larger fusiform gyrus gray matter volume than people that exhibit higher OXT DNA methylation. These findings provide empirical evidence that epigenetic modification of OXT is linked to several overt measures of sociability in humans and serve to advance progress in translational social neuroscience research toward a better understanding of the evolutionary and genetic basis of normal and abnormal human sociability.
Department of Psychology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602; Interdisciplinary Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602; bhaas@uga.edu.
Brian W
BW
Haas
Department of Psychology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602;
Megan M
MM
Filkowski
Department of Psychology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602;
R Nick
RN
Cochran
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322;
Lydia
L
Denison
Center for Interdisciplinary Brain Sciences Research, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305;
Alexandra
A
Ishak
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322; Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Unit of Basic Medical Sciences, Course of Medical and Dental Sciences, Nagasaki University, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, 1-12-4 Sakamoto, Nagasaki 852-8523, Japan.
Shota
S
Nishitani
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322;
Alicia K
AK
Smith
D056348:Emotional Intelligence; D044127:Epigenesis, Genetic; D005260:Female; D059907:Functional Neuroimaging; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009769:Object Attachment; D010121:Oxytocin / Q000235:genetics*; D066107:Social Skills; D055815:Young Adult
D010121:Oxytocin
OXT; epigenetics; oxytocin; sociability; social cognition