Partial replication of two rumination-related candidate gene studies

Abstract

Two recent papers associated candidate genes with brooding rumination, a possible cognitive endophenotype for depression, in children ages 8–14 years. Stone et al. reported that BDNF val66met polymorphism predicted brooding in adolescence. Woody et al. reported that children carrying at least one copy of a CRHR1 TAT haplotype reported less brooding than their peers in the presence of maternal depression. We attempted to replicate and extend these findings in a sample of twins aged 12–16 years. We analyzed the BDNF val66met (rs6265) polymorphism and two (rs242924 and rs7209436) out of three single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that Woody et al. used to create a CRHR1 haplotype. We controlled for maternal history of depression and clustering within families. Unlike Stone et al., we found higher brooding among BDNF Met carriers. This main effect was qualified by an interaction with pubertal status, with the effect driven by more physically mature participants. Similar to Woody et al., we found an interaction between CRHR1 SNPs and maternal depression, with the homozygous minor genotype acting as a protective factor against brooding in the presence of maternal depression. Findings provide partial support for the influence of candidate genes in two environmentally sensitive systems on brooding.

Reflecting on rumination: Consequences, causes, mechanisms and treatment of rumination

“…A subsequent study of 8-14 year olds, some of whom had mothers with a history of depression, replicated Hilt et al's finding regarding adolescence: in adolescents aged 10-14, individuals who were homozygous for the Val allele reported higher rumination scores than carriers of the Met allele (Stone, McGeary, Palmer, & Gibb, 2013). In a sample of adolescent twins (N = 441) aged 12-18 years, carriers of the Met allele reported higher brooding scores that individuals with the Val/Val genotype, and post-hoc analyses indicated there was an interaction with pubertal status such that this association was reliable in individuals who were more advanced in puberty, but not in those who were less mature (Van Hulle, Clifford, Moore, Lemery-Chalfant, & Goldsmith, 2017).…”

Longitudinal Research at the Interface of Affective Neuroscience, Developmental Psychopathology, Health and Behavioral Genetics: Findings from the Wisconsin Twin Project

“…We found higher brooding among BDNF Met carriers, and the genetic effect was carried by more physically mature adolescents. Moreover, status for two CRHR1 SNPs and maternal depression interacted, such that the homozygous minor genotype was protective against brooding when adolescents' mothers had more symptoms of depression (Van Hulle, Clifford et al, 2017). Pending further replication, these findings provide partial support for the influence of candidate genes in two environmentally sensitive systems on a putative endophenotype for depression.…”

Mitigating influence of transcendence on politics perceptions’ negative effects

“…A constructive replication research design was developed to test the interactive politics perceptions × transcendence relationship (Hochwarter et al , 2011). Constructive replication, which examines similar questions with related measures in different environments, represents a stronger test of original documentation relative to exact duplication (Van Hulle et al , 2017). Sample 1 consisted of workers across a myriad of job contexts, whereas Sample 2 mainly focused on a single work environment.…”