Preliminary genetic imaging study of the association between estrogen receptor-α gene polymorphisms and harsh human maternal parenting

Abstract

A failure of neural changes initiated by the estrogen surge in late pregnancy to reverse the valence of infant stimuli from aversive to rewarding is associated with dysfunctional maternal behavior in nonhuman mammals. Estrogen receptor-α plays the crucial role in mediating these neural effects of estrogen priming. This preliminary study examines associations between estrogen receptor-α gene polymorphisms and human maternal behavior. Two polymorphisms were associated with human negative maternal parenting. Furthermore, hemodynamic responses in functional magnetic resonance imaging to child stimuli in neural regions associated with social cognition fully mediated the association between genetic variation and negative parenting. This suggests testable hypotheses regarding a biological pathway between genetic variants and dysfunctional human maternal parenting.

The maternal brain and its plasticity in humans

“…Another study of a similar sample of mothers examined genetic variations in the estrogen receptor gene (Lahey et al, 2012). Estrogen is important in priming maternal motivation regions of the brain: in animals, mothers with higher levels of estrogen show less hostile responses and increased caring behaviors toward their own pups.…”

Approaching the biology of human parental attachment: Brain imaging, oxytocin and coordinated assessments of mothers and fathers

“…To what extent central OT receptors are sensitive to epigenetic modification in humans and whether, like in the rodents from Champagne’s work (Champagne, 2008), they contribute to patterns of parental care that can be passed on (in a quasi-Lamarckian fashion) from generation to generation, are closely related questions. Other hormones and their receptor systems, including cortisol, estrogen, progesterone, endogenous opioids are also important in the regulation of parenting and interact with OT (Gordon et al, 2011; Lahey et al, 2012; Nowak et al, 2011; Swain et al, 2011)…”

Gene-Environment Interplay in Interpersonal Relationships across the Lifespan

“…A very recent pilot study suggests one strategy. Lahey and colleagues, in a small sample of mothers of pre-schoolers, studied the association of a polymorphism regulating the density 251 10 The Family System as a Unit of Clinical Care … of estrogen receptors in the brain to observed negative parenting with their own children (Lahey et al 2012). The areas of the brain involved-such as the left frontal gyrus and the right insula-had already been show to be engaged when mothers responded to photos of their own children.…”

“…However, in their study linking dopamine genes to these maternal behaviors the hypothesized intermediate phenotypes were not measured. I have already cited an example in pilot study of mothers of young children by Lahey et al (2012). They linked allelic variation in a gene regulating estrogen receptors in the brain to maternal brain areas typically activated in response to pictures of the mothers' children.…”