Association of Early Stress and BDNF Genotype With Response Inhibition During Emotional Distraction in Adolescence

Julia E. Cohen-Gilbert; Elena R. Stein; Megan R. Gunnar; Kathleen M. Thomas

doi:10.1177/0272431616675975

Association of Early Stress and BDNF Genotype With Response Inhibition During Emotional Distraction in Adolescence

Julia E. Cohen-Gilbert, Elena R. Stein, Megan R. Gunnar, Kathleen M. Thomas

Institute of Child Development

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

1 Scopus citations

Abstract

This study investigated whether brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) genotype moderated inhibitory control during an emotionally valenced task in a sample of internationally adopted adolescents (N = 109, ages 12-13 years) who spent their early years in institutional care. Participants were genotyped for the Val66Met polymorphism of the BDNF gene. Inhibitory control in different emotional contexts was assessed via a Go-NoGo task where letters appeared at the center of positive, negative, neutral, or scrambled images. Carriers of one or more methionine (Met) alleles demonstrated a significant association between poorer performance and increased adversity, indexed by age at adoption, while valine/valine (Val/Val) carriers did not. Thus, Val/Val genotype was associated with resilience to increased impulsivity with more prolonged deprivation. These results do not converge with research suggesting differential susceptibility effects for this polymorphism, but more closely reflect a diathesis-stress model for the impact of BDNF genotype on a behavioral measure of impulsivity during emotional distraction.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	1265-1285
Number of pages	21
Journal	Journal of Early Adolescence
Volume	38
Issue number	9
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1177/0272431616675975
State	Published - Nov 1 2018

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This study was supported by a multi-site developmental center grant from the National Institutes of Mental Health (P50 MH079513, Center for Brain, Genes, and Behavior). In addition, Dr. Cohen-Gilbert was supported by an Eva O. Miller fellowship from the University of Minnesota.

Funding Information:
The authors thank the teens and families who participated in this work, as well as Raquel Cowell, Amanda Hodel, Sara Van Den Heuvel, Jennifer Wenner, and Anika Wiltgen for their contributions to data collection and data management. The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This study was supported by a multi-site developmental center grant from the National Institutes of Mental Health (P50 MH079513, Center for Brain, Genes, and Behavior). In addition, Dr. Cohen-Gilbert was supported by an Eva O. Miller fellowship from the University of Minnesota.

Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2016.

Keywords

cognitive development
emotion regulation
genetics
stress

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title = "Association of Early Stress and BDNF Genotype With Response Inhibition During Emotional Distraction in Adolescence",

abstract = "This study investigated whether brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) genotype moderated inhibitory control during an emotionally valenced task in a sample of internationally adopted adolescents (N = 109, ages 12-13 years) who spent their early years in institutional care. Participants were genotyped for the Val66Met polymorphism of the BDNF gene. Inhibitory control in different emotional contexts was assessed via a Go-NoGo task where letters appeared at the center of positive, negative, neutral, or scrambled images. Carriers of one or more methionine (Met) alleles demonstrated a significant association between poorer performance and increased adversity, indexed by age at adoption, while valine/valine (Val/Val) carriers did not. Thus, Val/Val genotype was associated with resilience to increased impulsivity with more prolonged deprivation. These results do not converge with research suggesting differential susceptibility effects for this polymorphism, but more closely reflect a diathesis-stress model for the impact of BDNF genotype on a behavioral measure of impulsivity during emotional distraction.",

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author = "Cohen-Gilbert, {Julia E.} and Stein, {Elena R.} and Gunnar, {Megan R.} and Thomas, {Kathleen M.}",

note = "Funding Information: The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This study was supported by a multi-site developmental center grant from the National Institutes of Mental Health (P50 MH079513, Center for Brain, Genes, and Behavior). In addition, Dr. Cohen-Gilbert was supported by an Eva O. Miller fellowship from the University of Minnesota. Funding Information: The authors thank the teens and families who participated in this work, as well as Raquel Cowell, Amanda Hodel, Sara Van Den Heuvel, Jennifer Wenner, and Anika Wiltgen for their contributions to data collection and data management. The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This study was supported by a multi-site developmental center grant from the National Institutes of Mental Health (P50 MH079513, Center for Brain, Genes, and Behavior). In addition, Dr. Cohen-Gilbert was supported by an Eva O. Miller fellowship from the University of Minnesota. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} The Author(s) 2016.",

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N2 - This study investigated whether brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) genotype moderated inhibitory control during an emotionally valenced task in a sample of internationally adopted adolescents (N = 109, ages 12-13 years) who spent their early years in institutional care. Participants were genotyped for the Val66Met polymorphism of the BDNF gene. Inhibitory control in different emotional contexts was assessed via a Go-NoGo task where letters appeared at the center of positive, negative, neutral, or scrambled images. Carriers of one or more methionine (Met) alleles demonstrated a significant association between poorer performance and increased adversity, indexed by age at adoption, while valine/valine (Val/Val) carriers did not. Thus, Val/Val genotype was associated with resilience to increased impulsivity with more prolonged deprivation. These results do not converge with research suggesting differential susceptibility effects for this polymorphism, but more closely reflect a diathesis-stress model for the impact of BDNF genotype on a behavioral measure of impulsivity during emotional distraction.

AB - This study investigated whether brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) genotype moderated inhibitory control during an emotionally valenced task in a sample of internationally adopted adolescents (N = 109, ages 12-13 years) who spent their early years in institutional care. Participants were genotyped for the Val66Met polymorphism of the BDNF gene. Inhibitory control in different emotional contexts was assessed via a Go-NoGo task where letters appeared at the center of positive, negative, neutral, or scrambled images. Carriers of one or more methionine (Met) alleles demonstrated a significant association between poorer performance and increased adversity, indexed by age at adoption, while valine/valine (Val/Val) carriers did not. Thus, Val/Val genotype was associated with resilience to increased impulsivity with more prolonged deprivation. These results do not converge with research suggesting differential susceptibility effects for this polymorphism, but more closely reflect a diathesis-stress model for the impact of BDNF genotype on a behavioral measure of impulsivity during emotional distraction.

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Association of Early Stress and BDNF Genotype With Response Inhibition During Emotional Distraction in Adolescence

Abstract

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