Professional Documents
Culture Documents
WHY Resilience
• Why some individuals show no effects in very harsh
environments and others show dramatic effects to
i t d th h d ti ff t t
relatively minor environmental differences?
• Individual differences in stress reactivity in monkeys
(e.g., overly fearful, overly aggressive) in infants
impact social behavior in later life
p
– Differences in genetics
– Differences in rearing & social environments
– Different GXE patterns
• Recent research indicates interaction
Suomi, S.J. (2006). Risk, resilience,
and gene x environment
interactions in rhesus monkeys.
Annals of the New York Academy of
Sciences 1994: 52 62
Sciences, 1994: 52‐62
1
5/10/2011
Humans: Depression & 5‐HHT
• Young adults – retrospective
• Two Alleles for serotonin transporter (5‐HTT)
– short vs. long
• Short 5HHT allele + childhood neglect/abuse
– Childhood abuse/neglect: more symptoms
– Supportive env: fewer symptoms
S ti f t
• Long 5HHT – no difference regardless of rearing
Two Groups of Monkey Babies
Initial 6mo of life
• Mother‐Reared
– Access to mother and same‐aged peers
• Peer‐Reared
– Separated from mothers but access to peers
S i lG
Social Group Life (after 6mo)
Lif ( ft 6 )
2
5/10/2011
GXE: Gene Environment Interaction
• Short: deficient neurobehavioral function
– Peer‐reared: poor serotonin metabolism & excessive
aggression, high stress reactivity
– Mother‐reared: species‐normal behavior pattern
• Long: normal function regardless of rearing
Two Interpretations
Genetic Protection
• Long 5HTT allele resilience vs. effects of adverse
early attachment relations (good gene protect vs.
bad environment)
Maternal Buffering
Secure attachment resilience (good environment
• Secure attachment resilience (good environment
protect vs. bad genes)
3
5/10/2011
Gene & Environment vs.GXE
• Genetic & environmental contributions to resilience
• GXE: interaction of contributions
GXE i t ti f t ib ti
– Allelic variation may promote phenotypic variation &
support/promote resilience
– Different allele patterns optimal outcomes for
different environments
Allelic variation “hedge
– Allelic variation hedge bets
bets” (highest # optimal
(highest # optimal
outcomes)
• NEW RESEARCH: different alleles may increase
sensitivity to both negative & positive
environmental influences