Gene-environment interactions between CREB1 and childhood maltreatment on aggression among male Chinese adolescents

Abstract

Both the genetic and environmental factors may affect aggression susceptibility. However, the conclusions of these associations remain discrepant. In addition, studies that explored the association between CREB1 and aggression were meager. The aim of our present study was to assess whether CREB1 polymorphisms were related to aggression and also to explore the interactive effects of CREB1 variants and childhood maltreatment on aggression. A total of 488 individuals with aggressive behavior and 488 controls were recruited. Aggression and childhood maltreatment were surveyed by standardized self-administered questionnaires. Buccal cells were also obtained and genotyping was conducted using SNPscan. Logistic regressions were applied to investigate both individual effects of CREB1 polymorphisms and the interactive influences with childhood maltreatment on aggression. We found that adolescents who carried the rs4675690 T allele in CREB1 showed a higher level of aggression compared with those who carried wildtype genotypes (CC) under the dominant model (OR = 1.67, 95% CI, 1.16–2.40) after controlling for age and childhood maltreatment. Moreover, we also found that rs4675690 T allele had a synergic additive interaction with childhood sexual abuse and emotional neglect on aggression. The significant interactive effects of CREB1 polymorphisms and childhood maltreatment on aggression were reported for the first time.

Factors associated with child abuse among children and adolescents in a Peruvian public hospital

“…It is well-established that the various forms of child abuse perpetrated by parents or other caregivers harm the overall development of children and adolescents [ 34 – 36 ]. Likewise, associations are found with poor cognitive abilities or performance in childhood and even into adulthood, especially with specific types of abuse that will lead to the loss of opportunities and limited personal development [ 13 , 14 ]. The results are similar to the research by García-Cruz et al ., where the majority of single-parent families had young mothers (47.2%), primary caregivers (68%), and single mothers (47.2%) (83, 3%) [ 37 ].…”