Abstract
Background
The synergic interaction of risk genes and environmental factors has been thought
to play a critical role in mediating emotion-related brain circuitry function and
dysfunction in depression and anxiety disorders. Little, however, is known regarding
neurodevelopmental bases underlying how maternal negative parenting affects emotion-related
brain circuitry linking to adolescent internalizing symptoms and whether this neurobehavioral
association is heritable during adolescence.
Methods
The effects of maternal parenting on amygdala-based emotional circuitry and internalizing
symptoms were examined by using longitudinal functional magnetic resonance imaging
among 100 monozygotic twins and 78 dizygotic twins from early adolescence (age 13
years) to mid-adolescence (age 16 years). The mediation effects among variables of
interest and their heritability were assessed by structural equation modeling and
quantitative genetic analysis, respectively.
Results
Exposure to maternal negative parenting was positively predictive of stronger functional
connectivity of the amygdala with the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex. This neural
pathway mediated the association between negative parenting and adolescent depressive
symptoms and exhibited moderate heritability (21%).
Conclusions
These findings highlight that maternal negative parenting in early adolescence is
associated with the development of atypical amygdala-prefrontal connectivity in relation
to internalizing depressive symptoms in mid-adolescence. Such abnormality of emotion-related
brain circuitry is heritable to a moderate degree.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: August 06, 2020
Accepted:
August 3,
2020
Received in revised form:
August 3,
2020
Received:
December 9,
2019
Identification
Copyright
© 2020 Society of Biological Psychiatry.
