Identifying Genetic Risk for Maternal Insensitivity and Infant Dysregulation

描述（由申请人提供）：本R21的目的是：（1）鉴定特定的情绪相关基因型，这些基因型使母亲对婴儿痛苦产生更消极的生理、情绪和行为反应;（2）检查特定的情绪相关基因型使母亲和婴儿对积极和消极的环境经历的影响或多或少敏感的程度。具体来说，我们将研究基因在多大程度上调节以下影响：（a）母亲对婴儿痛苦的生理、情感和行为反应的早期创伤;（B）母亲对痛苦的敏感性对婴儿在情感、行为和生理水平上的早期调节能力的影响。这项工作与儿童的心理健康有关，因为母亲对痛苦的敏感性是儿童积极结果的预测因素，但我们对促进婴儿哭泣敏感行为的生物或心理过程知之甚少。识别的过程，影响母亲如何应对他们的苦恼的婴儿和这些过程的起源将告知筛查工具的发展，以确定母亲在养育困难的风险和个性化的干预措施的设计，以促进敏感的母亲行为和积极的社会情感功能在生命早期。DNA样本将从254名经产母亲（126名欧洲裔美国人，128名非洲裔美国人）及其在我们实验室或家中的2至3岁婴儿的既存样本中收集。将评估与情感、注意力和社会过程相关的母亲和婴儿基因型（即，多巴胺受体D1、D2和D4、多巴胺转运蛋白DAT-1、儿茶酚-O-甲基转移酶-COMT、5-羟色胺转运蛋白- 5-HTTPR和催产素受体-OXTR）。在这次访问中，母亲将报告他们在童年期间经历创伤和护理过渡的程度，以及他们的婴儿在头2年中经历创伤和护理过渡的程度。以前的相关措施，从这个样本包括母亲的自我报告的儿童保育给予经验的问卷调查和成人依恋访谈，所有管理产前。在产后6个月、1年和2年评估母亲对婴儿痛苦的生理（皮肤电导和迷走神经抑制）、情感和行为反应。分别于6个月、1岁和2岁时在实验室进行情绪诱发任务，评估婴儿的情绪调节行为和迷走神经调节。在1岁和2岁时，母亲使用B-ITSEA报告婴儿行为问题;在2岁时的依从性任务期间观察婴儿行为调节。结果将扩大我们的知识的生物过程，影响母亲的敏感性，在情绪激动的设置，儿童的情绪发展的关键背景下，并帮助我们确定哪些母亲和婴儿最容易受到早期护理的影响。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The purpose of this R21 is to: (1) to identify specific emotion-related genotypes that predispose mothers to have more negative physiological, emotional and behavioral responses to infant distress; and (2) to examine the extent to which specific emotion-related genotypes make mothers and infants more or less susceptible to the effect of positive and negative environmental experiences. Specifically, we will examine the extent to which genes moderate the effect of: (a) early trauma on mothers' physiological, emotional and behavioral responses to infant distress; and (b) maternal sensitivity to distress on infants' early regulatory capacity at the emotional, behavioral, and physiological levels. This work is relevant to the mental health of children because maternal sensitivity to distress is a predictor of positive child outcomes, but we know little about the biological or psychological processes that promote sensitive behavior in response to infant crying. Identifying the processes that influence how mothers respond to their distressed infants and the origins of these processes will inform the development of screening tools to identify mothers at risk for parenting difficulties and the design of individually tailored intervention efforts to foster sensiive maternal behavior and positive social emotional functioning early in life. DNA samples will be collected from a pre-existing sample of 254 primiparous mothers (126 European American, 128 African American) and their infants in our laboratory or their home when infants are 2 to 3 years old. Mother and infant genotypes linked with emotional, attention, and social processes will be assessed (i.e., dopamine receptors D1, D2 and D4, dopamine transporter DAT-1, catechol-O- methyltransferase -COMT, serotonin transporter- 5-HTTPR, and oxytocin receptor-OXTR). During this visit, mothers will report on the extent to which they experienced trauma and care giving transitions during their childhood and the extent to which their infant experienced trauma and care giving transitions during each of the first 2 years. Prior relevant measures from this sample include mothers self-reports of childhood care giving experiences on questionnaires and the Adult Attachment Interview; all administered prenatally. Measures of mothers' physiological (skin conductance and vagal suppression), affective, and behavioral responses to infant distress were assessed at 6 months, 1 year and 2 years postpartum. Infant emotion regulation behaviors and vagal regulation were assessed during emotion-eliciting tasks in the laboratory at 6 months, 1 year and 2 years. At 1 and 2 years, mothers reported on infant behavior problems using the B-ITSEA; and infant behavioral regulation was observed during a compliance task at 2 years. Results will extend our knowledge of the biological processes that influence maternal sensitivity in emotionally arousing settings, a critical context for children's emotional development and help us determine which mothers and infants are most susceptible to early care giving influences.