Study finds genes influencing one's sensitivity to environment, symptoms of mental disorders likely to express
New Delhi, A study has uncovered genes that govern how sensitive one is about their environment, levels of which can influence symptoms they present of mental disorders.
An international team of researchers, led by those at King's College London, UK, analysed nearly 10,900 pairs of identical twins from 11 studies and examined how changes in sensitivity to environment can influence one's chances of presenting symptoms of ADHD, autism, anxiety and depression, psychosis and neuroticism.
Findings, published in the journal Nature Human Behaviour, show that genes related to molecules important for neurodevelopment, immune function and the central nervous system were related with autistic traits.
Genes that influence how one reacts to stress were found to be linked with depressive symptoms.
Further, genes involved in regulating catecholamines -- hormones, such as dopamine and adrenaline, involved in responding to stress -- were linked to psychotic-like experiences, the researchers found.
"Differences in individuals' sensitivity to life experiences can explain why the same negative or positive experiences may have varying effects on people's mental health, depending on their genetic make-up," first author Elham Assary, a postdoctoral researcher at King's College London, said.
An interaction between one's genes and their environment is considered to make up a diverse range of traits across species.
The 'nature vs nurture' debate in psychology is concerned about how much of an individual's characteristics is due to genetics (nature), and how much due to environment (nurture).
"Our findings suggest that specific genetic variants influence how environmental exposures impact psychiatric and neurodevelopmental symptoms," Assary said.
Studies often look at identical twins, as they carry almost entirely identical genetic material -- this would mean that differences in their characteristics would be more likely due to the environment they experience.
"Some people are more sensitive to their circumstances, and this can be positive in good circumstances but can make life more challenging than for others in stressful circumstances," senior author Thalia Eley, professor of developmental behavioural genetics at King's College London, UK, said.
However, discerning which genes are involved in determining what characteristics and symptoms one expresses has proved challenging, especially for complex psychological traits, the team said.
"We identified 13 genome-wide significant associations, including genes related to stress reactivity for depression, growth factor-related genes for autistic traits and catecholamine uptake-related genes for psychotic-like experiences," the authors wrote.
Results from the study "provide an important step forward in disentangling
gene-environment interactions
for psychiatric traits and provide a framework for similar investigations in other traits," senior author Patricia Munroe, professor of molecular medicine at Queen Mary University of London, UK, said.
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