Interplay of Genes and Interplay of Genes and Environment Across the Lifespan: Environment Across the Lifespan:

Genotype x Environment Genotype x Environment InteractionInteraction

Jenae M. Neiderhiser, Ph.D.

Center for Family ResearchDepartment of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences

George Washington University

cfrjmn@gwumc.edu

3 integrated studies focused on the 3 integrated studies focused on the interplay between genes & interplay between genes &

environmentenvironment1. Nonshared Environment in Adolescent Development (NEAD)

• Longitudinal – from middle adolescence to young adulthood• siblings/twins and parents• Detailed assessment of family relationships, peers and adolescent

adjustment• DNA collection

2. Twin/Offspring Study in Sweden (TOSS)• Parents who are twins and adolescent child + spouse• Detailed assessment of family relationships & adjustment of all family

members• DNA collection

3. Early Growth and Development Study (EGDS)• Longitudinal – prenatal through 7.5 years for children• Adoption design – follow birth parents, adopted child & adoptive parents• Detailed assessment of family relationships, adjustment of adopted

children, adjustment/psychopathology in birth parents, prenatal environment

• DNA collection

NEAD and TOSS Designs

Spouse 2Twin Parent 1

NEAD

Twin Parent 2

Spouse 1

Child of Twin 1

Child of Twin 2

Child 1 Child 2

TOSS

Mom Dad

1.0=MZ twins; .50=DZ twins & full siblings; .25=half

siblings; 0=step siblings

1.0=MZ twin parents; .50=DZ twin

parents

.25=children of MZ twin parents; .125=children of

DZ twin parents

Parenting as a moderator of G &E on adolescent Parenting as a moderator of G &E on adolescent antisocial behaviorantisocial behavior

From Feinberg et al. (in press). Archives of General Psychiatry.

As parental negativity increases, variance due to A, C & E also increase

At lower levels of warmth, variance due to A is higher

At higher levels of warmth, variance due to C is higher

Consistency across parental negativity & positivity for adolescent antisocial behavior

•As parent-child relationship worsens, genetic influences on ASB increase

•Shared environmental influences deviate somewhat – but effects are more modest

Which came first? High conflict/low warmth or antisocial behavior?

•Does an antisocial child elicit more negativity & less warmth for genetic reasons?

•Do high levels of negativity & low levels of warmth “trigger” genetic tendencies towards ASB?

Does marital conflict moderate G & E on Does marital conflict moderate G & E on negative parenting?negative parenting?

Marital Conflict About Child

Mo

ther

ing

Fat

her

ing

0

0.5

1

-2 -1.5 -1 -0.5 0 0.5 1 1.5 2

Marital Conflict About Each Child

Uns

tand

ardi

zed

Varia

nce

A

C

E

0

0.5

1

-2 -1.5 -1 -0.5 0 0.5 1 1.5 2

Marital Conflict About Each Child

Uns

tand

ardi

zed

Varia

nce

A

C

E

Interpretation

At low levels of conflict more variance in mother’s negativity is due to shared environmental influences

At low levels of conflict more variance in father’s negativity due to genetic & shared env influences

As conflict increases, nonshared environmental influences also increase

• 559 domestic adoption placements to non-relative families (359 in EGDS-Toddler and 200 in EGDS-Prenatal)

• Yoked Adoption Unit: • Birth mother/birth father,

adoptive mother/father, & adopted child

• Adoption occurred within 3 mo. post-partum• Infant free of major medical problems

• 3 major assessments for birth parents and 6 major assessments for adoptive families spanning infancy through 1st grade (EGDS-School)

• Multimethod, multiagent approach

EGDS study designEGDS study design

AC

BM BF AM AF

Toddlers’Toddlers’ (18 mo) (18 mo) response to parentingresponse to parenting in the in the presence and absence of adoptive family distress presence and absence of adoptive family distress

as a function of genetic risk (via BP)as a function of genetic risk (via BP)

BP Social Anxiety

Infa

nt A

vers

ive

Ver

bal R

espo

nse

Adoptive family distress ABSENT

Adoptive family distress PRESENT

Children in distressed families have increased sensitivity in

toddlerhood

Toddler’s are MORE SENSITIVE to parents’ instructions and respond MORE NEGATIVELY only when BOTH genetic risk and environmental stress are present

Understanding MechanismsUnderstanding Mechanisms

• In EGDS we are beginning to see the mechanisms of GxE and rGE develop from 9-months to 18-months

• In NEAD we have evidence that parenting is an important modifier of G and E

• In NEAD we also have evidence that G and E on parenting is modified by marriage

• In TOSS & NEAD we have evidence that relationships mediate the genetic influences on adjustment

• In TOSS we are beginning to disentangle types of rGE

Thanks to the research teams that make Thanks to the research teams that make this work possiblethis work possible

NEAD• David Reiss (GWU) • Robert Plomin (IoP)• E. Mavis Hetherington

(UVA)• Mark Feinberg (PSU)• Erica Spotts (NIA)• Dean Hamer (NCI)• Jody Ganiban (GWU)• Rich Rende (Brown)• Sam Simmens (GWU)• George Howe (GWU)

• R01s MH43373, MH48825, & MH59014 & the William T. Grant Foundation

TOSS• Paul Lichtenstein (KI)• David Reiss (GWU)• Nancy Pedersen (KI)• Jody Ganiban (GWU)• Erica Spotts (NIA)• Suzanne Haddad (GWU)• Jurgita Naruyste (KI)• Jennifer Ulbricht (GWU)• Lennart Martinnson (KI)• Elias Ericksson

(Göteborgs Universitet)

• R01MH54601 & Riksbankens Jubieleumsfond (DNA collection & genotyping)

EGDS• David Reiss (GWU)• Leslie Leve (OSLC)• Xiajioa Ge (UMN)• John Reid (OSLC)• Danny Shaw (U Pitt)• Laura Scaramella

(UNO)• Linda Mayes (Yale)• Phil Fisher (OSLC)• Rand Conger (UC

Davis)

• EGDS & EGDS II: R01HD042608 (co-funding by NIDA)

• EGDS-Prenatal: R01DA020585 (co-funding by OBSSR, NIMH, NICHD)