The association between childhood maltreatment and empathic perspective taking is moderated by the 5-HTT linked polymorphic region: Another example of "differential susceptibility".
Vera FlasbeckDirk MoserJohanna PakuschRobert KumstaMartin BrünePublished in: PloS one (2019)
Previous research has suggested that the short (S)-allele of the 5-HT transporter gene-linked polymorphic region (5-HTTLPR) may confer "differential susceptibility" to environmental impact with regard to the expression of personality traits, depressivity and impulsivity. However, little is known about the role of 5-HTTLPR concerning the association between childhood adversity and empathy. Here, we analyzed samples of 137 healthy participants and 142 individuals diagnosed with borderline personality disorder (BPD) focusing on the 5-HTTLPR genotype (S/L-carrier) and A/G SNP (rs25531), in relation to childhood maltreatment and empathy traits. Whereas no between-group difference in 5-HTTLPR genotype distribution emerged, the S-allele selectively moderated the impact of childhood maltreatment on empathic perspective taking, whereby low scores in childhood trauma were associated with superior perspective taking. In contrast, L-homozygotes seemed to be largely unresponsive to variation in environmental conditions in relation to empathy, suggesting that the S-allele confers "differential susceptibility". Moreover, a moderation analysis and tests for differential susceptibility yielded similar results when transcriptional activity of the serotonin transporter gene was taken into account. In conclusion, our findings suggest that the S-allele of the 5-HTTLPR is responsive to early developmental contingencies for "better and worse", i.e. conferring genetic plasticity, especially with regard to processes involving emotional resonance.
Keyphrases
- early life
- genome wide
- childhood cancer
- borderline personality disorder
- copy number
- gene expression
- magnetic resonance
- dna methylation
- oxidative stress
- poor prognosis
- human health
- cancer therapy
- binding protein
- risk assessment
- long non coding rna
- drug delivery
- computed tomography
- life cycle
- high density
- contrast enhanced
- genome wide identification