TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2014//
TI  - Interaction between prenatal stress and dopamine D4 receptor genotype in predicting aggression and cortisol levels in young adults
JO  - Psychopharmacology
A1  - Buchmann, Arlette F.
A1  - Zohsel, Katrin
A1  - Blomeyer, Dorothea
A1  - Hohm, Erika
A1  - Hohmann, Sarah
A1  - Jennen-Steinmetz, Christine
A1  - Treutlein, Jens
A1  - Becker, Katja
A1  - Banaschewski, Tobias
A1  - Schmidt, Martin H.
A1  - Esser, Günter
A1  - Brandeis, Daniel
A1  - Poustka, Luise
A1  - Zimmermann, Ulrich S.
A1  - Laucht, Manfred
SP  - 3089
EP  - 3097
VL  - 231
IS  - 16
N2  - RATIONALE: Considerable evidence suggests that genetic factors combine with environmental influences to impact on the development of aggressive behavior. A genetic variant that has repeatedly been reported to render individuals more sensitive to the presence of adverse experiences, including stress exposure during fetal life, is the seven-repeat allele of the dopamine D4 receptor (DRD4) gene. OBJECTIVES: The present investigation concentrated on the interplay of prenatal maternal stress and DRD4 genotype in predicting self-reported aggression in young adults. As disruption of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal system has been discussed as a pathophysiological pathway to aggression, cortisol stress reactivity was additionally examined. METHODS: As part of an epidemiological cohort study, prenatal maternal stress was assessed by maternal interview 3 months after childbirth. Between the ages of 19 and 23 years, 298 offspring (140 males, 158 females) completed the Young Adult Self-Report to measure aggressive behavior and were genotyped for the DRD4 gene. At 19 years, 219 participants additionally underwent the Trier Social Stress Test to determine cortisol reactivity. RESULTS: Extending earlier findings with respect to childhood antisocial behavior, the results revealed that, under conditions of higher prenatal maternal stress, carriers of the DRD4 seven-repeat allele displayed more aggression in adulthood (p = 0.032). Moreover, the same conditions which seemed to promote aggression were found to predict attenuated cortisol secretion (p = 0.028). CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study to indicate a long-term impact of prenatal stress exposure on the cortisol stress response depending on DRD4 genotype.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 0033-3158
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00213-014-3484-7
ID  - ref1
ER  -