Children’s DAT1 Polymorphism Moderates the Relationship Between Parents’ Psychological Profiles, Children’s DAT Methylation, and Their Emotional/Behavioral Functioning in a Normative Sample

Silvia Cimino, Luca Cerniglia, Giulia Ballarotto, Eleonora Marzilli, Esterina Pascale, Claudio D’Addario, Walter Adriani, Angelo Giovanni Icro Maremmani and Renata Tambelli
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Silvia Cimino: Department of Dynamic and Clinical Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, 00186 Rome, Italy
Luca Cerniglia: Faculty of Psychology, International Telematic University Uninettuno, 00186 Rome, Italy
Giulia Ballarotto: Department of Dynamic and Clinical Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, 00186 Rome, Italy
Eleonora Marzilli: Department of Dynamic and Clinical Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, 00186 Rome, Italy
Esterina Pascale: Department of Medical Surgical Sciences and Biotechnology, Sapienza University of Rome, 00186 Rome, Italy
Claudio D’Addario: Faculty of Bioscience and Technology for Food, Agriculture and Environment, University of Teramo, 64100 Teramo, Italy
Walter Adriani: Center for Behavioral Sciences and Mental Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, 00186 Rome, Italy
Angelo Giovanni Icro Maremmani: Department of Psychiatry, North-Western Tuscany Region Local Health Unit, 55049 Viareggio, Italy
Renata Tambelli: Department of Dynamic and Clinical Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, 00186 Rome, Italy

IJERPH, 2019, vol. 16, issue 14, 1-20

Abstract: Parental psychopathological risk is considered as one of the most crucial features associated with epigenetic modifications in offspring, which in turn are thought to be related to their emotional/behavioral profiles. The dopamine active transporter (DAT) gene is suggested to play a significant role in affective/behavioral regulation. On the basis of the previous literature, we aimed at verifying whether children’s DAT1 polymorphisms moderated the relationship between parents’ psychological profiles, children’s emotional/behavioral functioning, and DAT1 methylation in a normative sample of 79 families with school-age children (Ntot = 237). Children’s biological samples were collected through buccal swabs, while Symptom Check-List-90 item Revised, Adult Self Report, and Child Behavior Check-List/6–18 was administered to assess parental and children’s psychological functioning. We found that higher maternal externalizing problems predicted the following: higher levels of children’s DAT1 methylation at M1, but only among children with 10/10 genotype; higher levels of methylation at M2 among children with 10/10 genotype; while lower levels for children with a 9-repeat allele. There was also a positive relationship between fathers’ externalizing problems and children’s externalizing problems, only for children with a 9-repeat allele. Our findings support emerging evidence of the complex interplay between genetic and environmental factors in shaping children’ emotional/behavioral functioning, contributing to the knowledge of risk variables for a child’s development and psychological well-being.

Keywords: methylation; dopamine transporter; genotype; psychopathological symptoms (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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