Thinking and doing: the effects of dopamine and oxytocin genes and executive function on mothering behaviours.
Animal and human studies suggest that initial expression of maternal behaviour depends on oxytocin and dopamine systems. However, the mechanism by which these systems affect parenting behaviours and the timing of these effects are not well understood. This article explores the role of mothers' executive function in mediating the relation between oxytocin and dopamine gene variants and maternal responsiveness at 48 months post-partum. Participants (n = 157) were mothers recruited in the Maternal Adversity, Vulnerability and Neurodevelopment Study, which assesses longitudinally two cohorts of mothers and children in Canada. We examined single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) related to the dopamine and oxytocin systems (DRD1 rs686, DRD1 rs265976, OXTR rs237885 and OXTR rs2254298), assessed mothers' decision-making at 48 months using the Cambridge Neurological Automated Testing Battery (CANTAB) and evaluated maternal responsiveness from videotaped interactions during the Etch-A-Sketch co-operation task. Mediation analyses showed that OXTR rs2254298 A-carriers had an indirect effect on positive parenting which was mediated by mothers' performance on decision-making task (estimate = 0.115, P < 0.005), while OXTR rs2254298 A-carriers had both direct and indirect effects on physically controlling parenting, also mediated through enhanced performance on decision-making (estimate = -0.059, P < 0.005). Dopamine SNPs were not associated with any measure of executive function or parenting (all P > 0.05). While oxytocin has previously been associated with only the early onset of maternal behaviour, we show that an OXTR polymorphism is involved in maternal behaviour at 48 months post-partum through mothers' executive function. This research highlights the importance of the oxytocin system to maternal parenting beyond infancy.
Department of Psychology, University of Toronto Mississauga, Mississauga.|Fraser Mustard Institute for Human Development, Toronto.
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K
Tombeau Cost
Ludmer Centre for Neuroinformatics & Mental Health.|Douglas Mental Health University, Institute of McGill University, Montreal.
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E
Unternaehrer
Department of Educational Fundamentals and Practices, Laval University, Quebec.
A
A
Plamondon
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, McMaster University, Hamilton.
M
M
Steiner
Ludmer Centre for Neuroinformatics & Mental Health.|Douglas Mental Health University, Institute of McGill University, Montreal.|Sackler Program for Epigenetics & Psychobiology at McGill University, Montreal, Canada.|Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences, Singapore.
M
M
Meaney
Department of Psychology, Ryerson University.
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L
Atkinson
Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.
J L
JL
Kennedy
Department of Psychology, University of Toronto Mississauga, Mississauga.|Fraser Mustard Institute for Human Development, Toronto.
A S
AS
Fleming
D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004298:Dopamine / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D056344:Executive Function / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008425:Maternal Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D009034:Mother-Child Relations; D009035:Mothers; D010121:Oxytocin / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D016487:Parenting / Q000523:psychology; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; D011247:Pregnancy; D018045:Receptors, Oxytocin / Q000235:genetics
D018045:Receptors, Oxytocin; D010121:Oxytocin; D004298:Dopamine
CANTAB; Etch-A-Sketch; SNP; decision-making; dopamine; executive functions; mediation; oxytocin; physically controlling parenting; positive parenting