Evidence of a prominent genetic basis for associations between psychoneurometric traits and common mental disorders

Noah C. Venables; Brian M. Hicks; James R. Yancey; Mark D. Kramer; Lindsay D. Nelson; Casey M. Strickland; Robert F. Krueger; William G. Iacono; Christopher J. Patrick

doi:10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2016.09.011

Evidence of a prominent genetic basis for associations between psychoneurometric traits and common mental disorders

Noah C. Venables, Brian M. Hicks, James R. Yancey, Mark D. Kramer, Lindsay D. Nelson, Casey M. Strickland, Robert F. Krueger, William G. Iacono, Christopher J. Patrick

Psychology (Twin Cities)

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

34 Scopus citations

Abstract

Threat sensitivity (THT) and weak inhibitory control (or disinhibition; DIS) are trait constructs that relate to multiple types of psychopathology and can be assessed psychoneurometrically (i.e., using self-report and physiological indicators combined). However, to establish that psychoneurometric assessments of THT and DIS index biologically-based liabilities, it is important to clarify the etiologic bases of these variables and their associations with clinical problems. The current work addressed this important issue using data from a sample of identical and fraternal adult twins (N = 454). THT was quantified using a scale measure and three physiological indicators of emotional reactivity to visual aversive stimuli. DIS was operationalized using scores on two scale measures combined with two brain indicators from cognitive processing tasks. THT and DIS operationalized in these ways both showed appreciable heritability (0.45, 0.68), and genetic variance in these traits accounted for most of their phenotypic associations with fear, distress, and substance use disorder symptoms. Our findings suggest that, as indices of basic dispositional liabilities for multiple forms of psychopathology with direct links to neurophysiology, psychoneurometric assessments of THT and DIS represent novel and important targets for biologically-oriented research on psychopathology.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	4-12
Number of pages	9
Journal	International Journal of Psychophysiology
Volume	115
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2016.09.011
State	Published - May 1 2017

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
This work was supported by grants P50 MH072850 and RC1 MH089727 from the National Institute of Mental Health, and grant W911NF-14-1-0027 from the US Army. The content of this paper is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the U.S. Government, Department of Defense, Department of the Army, Department of Veterans Affairs, or U.S. Recruiting Command. Funding sources had no role in the study design, in the collection, analysis and interpretation of data, in the writing of the report, or in the decision to submit the article for publication. The authors have no financial disclosures or competing interests.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2016 Elsevier B.V.

Keywords

Disinhibition
Externalizing
Fear
Inhibitory control
Internalizing
Mental disorders
Psychopathology
Threat sensitivity

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This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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title = "Evidence of a prominent genetic basis for associations between psychoneurometric traits and common mental disorders",

abstract = "Threat sensitivity (THT) and weak inhibitory control (or disinhibition; DIS) are trait constructs that relate to multiple types of psychopathology and can be assessed psychoneurometrically (i.e., using self-report and physiological indicators combined). However, to establish that psychoneurometric assessments of THT and DIS index biologically-based liabilities, it is important to clarify the etiologic bases of these variables and their associations with clinical problems. The current work addressed this important issue using data from a sample of identical and fraternal adult twins (N = 454). THT was quantified using a scale measure and three physiological indicators of emotional reactivity to visual aversive stimuli. DIS was operationalized using scores on two scale measures combined with two brain indicators from cognitive processing tasks. THT and DIS operationalized in these ways both showed appreciable heritability (0.45, 0.68), and genetic variance in these traits accounted for most of their phenotypic associations with fear, distress, and substance use disorder symptoms. Our findings suggest that, as indices of basic dispositional liabilities for multiple forms of psychopathology with direct links to neurophysiology, psychoneurometric assessments of THT and DIS represent novel and important targets for biologically-oriented research on psychopathology.",

keywords = "Disinhibition, Externalizing, Fear, Inhibitory control, Internalizing, Mental disorders, Psychopathology, Threat sensitivity",

author = "Venables, {Noah C.} and Hicks, {Brian M.} and Yancey, {James R.} and Kramer, {Mark D.} and Nelson, {Lindsay D.} and Strickland, {Casey M.} and Krueger, {Robert F.} and Iacono, {William G.} and Patrick, {Christopher J.}",

note = "Funding Information: This work was supported by grants P50 MH072850 and RC1 MH089727 from the National Institute of Mental Health, and grant W911NF-14-1-0027 from the US Army. The content of this paper is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the U.S. Government, Department of Defense, Department of the Army, Department of Veterans Affairs, or U.S. Recruiting Command. Funding sources had no role in the study design, in the collection, analysis and interpretation of data, in the writing of the report, or in the decision to submit the article for publication. The authors have no financial disclosures or competing interests. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2016 Elsevier B.V.",

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AU - Krueger, Robert F.

AU - Iacono, William G.

AU - Patrick, Christopher J.

N1 - Funding Information: This work was supported by grants P50 MH072850 and RC1 MH089727 from the National Institute of Mental Health, and grant W911NF-14-1-0027 from the US Army. The content of this paper is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the U.S. Government, Department of Defense, Department of the Army, Department of Veterans Affairs, or U.S. Recruiting Command. Funding sources had no role in the study design, in the collection, analysis and interpretation of data, in the writing of the report, or in the decision to submit the article for publication. The authors have no financial disclosures or competing interests. Publisher Copyright: © 2016 Elsevier B.V.

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Evidence of a prominent genetic basis for associations between psychoneurometric traits and common mental disorders

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Keywords

UN SDGs

Access

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