Epigenetic variability in the human oxytocin receptor (OXTR) gene: A possible pathway from early life experiences to psychopathologies.

The human oxytocin (OXT) system is implicated in the regulation of complex social behaviors, as well as in psychopathologies characterized by social deficits. Emerging evidence suggests that variation in epigenetic regulation of the oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR) provides the oxytocin system with flexibility in response to environmental events, especially those occurring during early childhood. Changes in DNA methylation patterns of OXTR associated with these events may reflect biological alterations of social sensitivity. This is often related to an increased risk of developing mental disorders later in life. Here, we systematically reviewed all human studies (n = 30) discussing OXTR methylation in relation to socio-behavioral phenotypes. As such, we provide a complete and up-to-date overview of the literature that will aid future research in the interdisciplinary field of epigenetics and socio-behavioral sciences.FSW – Publicaties zonder aanstelling Universiteit Leide

Facing infant cuteness: How nurturing care motivation and oxytocin system gene methylation are associated with responses to baby schema features

Baby schema features are a specific set of physical features—including chubby cheeks, large, low-set eyes, and a large, round head—that have evolutionary adaptive value in their ability to trigger nurturant care. In this study among nulliparous women (N = 81; M age = 23.60, SD = 0.44), we examined how sensitivity to these baby schema features differs based on individual variations in nurturant care motivation and oxytocin system gene methylation. We integrated subjective ratings with measures of facial expressions and electroencephalography (EEG) in response to infant faces that were manipulated to contain more or less pronounced baby schema features. Linear mixed effects analyses demonstrated that infants with more pronounced baby schema features were rated as cuter and participants indicated greater motivation to take care of them. Furthermore, infants with more pronounced baby schema features elicited stronger smiling responses and enhanced P2 and LPP amplitudes compared to infants with less pronounced baby schema features. Importantly, individual differences significantly predicted baby schema effects. Specifically, women with low OXTR methylation and high nurturance motivation showed enhanced differentiation in automatic neurophysiological responses to infants with high and low levels of baby schema features. These findings highlight the importance of considering individual differences in continued research to further understand the complexities of sensitivity to child cues, including facial features, which will improve our understanding of the intricate neurobiological system that forms the basis of caregiving behavior

Oxytocin system gene methylation is associated with empathic responses towards children

Empathy is an essential component of sensitive caregiving behavior, which in turn is an important predictor of children's healthy social-emotional development. The oxytocin (OXT) system plays a key role in promoting sensitive parenting and empathy. In this study, we investigated how OXT system gene methylation was associated with empathic processes in nulliparous women (M age = 23.60, SD =0.44)-measuring both physiological facial muscle responses and ratings of compassion and positive affect to affective images depicting children. Linear mixed effects analyses demonstrated that lower methylation levels in the OXT and OXTR genes were related to enhanced empathic responses. The effect of OXT system gene methylation on empathic processes was partly qualified by an interaction with individual variations in women's care motivation. Our findings provide experimental evidence for an association between the methylation of OXT system genes and empathy.Education and Child Studie

Motor signatures of emotional reactivity in frontotemporal dementia

Automatic motor mimicry is essential to the normal processing of perceived emotion, and disrupted automatic imitation might underpin socio-emotional deficits in neurodegenerative diseases, particularly the frontotemporal dementias. However, the pathophysiology of emotional reactivity in these diseases has not been elucidated. We studied facial electromyographic responses during emotion identification on viewing videos of dynamic facial expressions in 37 patients representing canonical frontotemporal dementia syndromes versus 21 healthy older individuals. Neuroanatomical associations of emotional expression identification accuracy and facial muscle reactivity were assessed using voxel-based morphometry. Controls showed characteristic profiles of automatic imitation, and this response predicted correct emotion identification. Automatic imitation was reduced in the behavioural and right temporal variant groups, while the normal coupling between imitation and correct identification was lost in the right temporal and semantic variant groups. Grey matter correlates of emotion identification and imitation were delineated within a distributed network including primary visual and motor, prefrontal, insular, anterior temporal and temporo-occipital junctional areas, with common involvement of supplementary motor cortex across syndromes. Impaired emotional mimesis may be a core mechanism of disordered emotional signal understanding and reactivity in frontotemporal dementia, with implications for the development of novel physiological biomarkers of socio-emotional dysfunction in these diseases

A neuroendocrine account of facial mimicry and its dynamic modulation

Facial expressions are considered central in conveying information about one's emotional state. During social encounters, facial expressions of another individual are often automatically imitated by the observer, a process referred to as ‘facial mimicry’. This process is assumed to facilitate prosocial behaviour and is thought to rely on the mirror neuron system, known for its involvement in both observation and execution of motor actions. However, recent studies have revealed mimicry to be a more dynamic process than previously conceptualized, leaving mere perception-action coupling insufficient to explain its behavioural flexibility. In the current review, we describe the consequences of these findings for the theoretical conceptualization of facial mimicry, and present a novel neuroendocrine model for the dynamic modulation of facial mimicry. Our model can guide research on the communicative function of facial expressions and can provide insight into the position of facial mimicry in theoretical models of empathy and social interaction

A coordinate-based meta-analysis of human amygdala connectivity alterations related to early life adversities

1ol.:(ͬͭͮͯͰͱͲͳʹ͵Scientific Reports | (2023) 13:16541 | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-43057-2www.nature.com/scientificreportsA coordinate‑based meta‑analysisof human amygdala connectivityalterations related to early lifeadversitiesEline J. Kraaijenvanger 1 , Tobias Banaschewski 1 , Simon B. Eickhoff 2,3 & Nathalie E. Holz 1,4,5*By affecting core neurobiological systems early in development, early life adversities (ELAs) mightconfer latent vulnerability to future psychopathologies. This coordinate‑based meta‑analysis aimsto identify significant convergent alterations in functional connectivity of the amygdala related toELAs across resting‑state and task‑based fMRI‑studies. Five electronic databases were systematicallysearched until 22 October 2020, retrieving 49 eligible studies (n = 3162 participants). Convergentalterations in functional connectivity related to ELAs between the amygdala and the anteriorcingulate cortex (ACC) and left hippocampus were found. Sub‑analyses based on hemisphere anddirection showed that connectivity seeded in the right amygdala was affected and, moreover,revealed that connectivity with ACC was decreased. Analyses based on paradigm and age showedthat amygdala‑ACC coupling was altered during resting state and that amygdala–left hippocampusconnectivity was mostly affected during task‑based paradigms and in adult participants. Whileboth regions showed altered connectivity during emotion processing and following adverse socialpostnatal experiences such as maltreatment, amygdala‑ACC coupling was mainly affected when ELAswere retrospectively assessed through self‑report. We show that ELAs are associated with alteredfunctional connectivity of the amygdala with the ACC and hippocampus. As such, ELAs may embedlatent vulnerability to future psychopathologies by systematically affecting important neurocognitivesystems

Impact of early life adversities on human brain functioning: A coordinate-based meta-analysis

The detrimental impact of early life adversities (ELAs; entailing pre- and postnatal experiences) on the developing brain has been well established. By inducing neural alterations underlying critical human socio-cognitive functions, ELAs may embed latent vulnerability to psychopathologies. However, single neuroimaging studies report conflicting results. Therefore, this coordinate-based meta-analysis aims to identify convergent functional alterations following ELAs. Electronic databases were searched for relevant articles (2001 to June 2019), retrieving 68 eligible studies containing 3685 unique participants. The activation likelihood estimation algorithm was used for analyses according to best-practice guidelines. Whereas pooled analyses did not yield any findings, further homogenizing the experiments revealed significant functional alterations in the left superior frontal gyrus in healthy subjects, left centromedial amygdala during emotion processing, left precuneus during memory processing and left centromedial amygdala and putamen when analyzing the impact of postnatal experiences. These results support the current consensus in the field of environmental imaging: ELAs might exert their effects through systematically altering critical neurocognitive systems and enhance one's vulnerability to future mental health problems

Epigenetic variability in the human oxytocin receptor (OXTR) gene : A possible pathway from early life experiences to psychopathologies

The human oxytocin (OXT) system is implicated in the regulation of complex social behaviors, as well as in psychopathologies characterized by social deficits. Emerging evidence suggests that variation in epigenetic regulation of the oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR) provides the oxytocin system with flexibility in response to environmental events, especially those occurring during early childhood. Changes in DNA methylation patterns of OXTR associated with these events may reflect biological alterations of social sensitivity. This is often related to an increased risk of developing mental disorders later in life. Here, we systematically reviewed all human studies (n = 30) discussing OXTR methylation in relation to socio-behavioral phenotypes. As such, we provide a complete and up-to-date overview of the literature that will aid future research in the interdisciplinary field of epigenetics and socio-behavioral sciences