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. 2016 Dec:22:36-47.
doi: 10.1016/j.dcn.2016.10.002. Epub 2016 Nov 2.

5-HTTLPR polymorphism is linked to neural mechanisms of selective attention in preschoolers from lower socioeconomic status backgrounds

Elif Isbell  1 , Courtney Stevens  2 , Amanda Hampton Wray  3 , Theodore Bell  4 , Helen J Neville  4
Affiliations

5-HTTLPR polymorphism is linked to neural mechanisms of selective attention in preschoolers from lower socioeconomic status backgrounds

Elif Isbell et al. Dev Cogn Neurosci. 2016 Dec.

Abstract

While a growing body of research has identified experiential factors associated with differences in selective attention, relatively little is known about the contribution of genetic factors to the skill of sustained selective attention, especially in early childhood. Here, we assessed the association between the serotonin transporter linked polymorphic region (5-HTTLPR) genotypes and the neural mechanisms of selective attention in young children from lower socioeconomic status (SES) backgrounds. Event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded during a dichotic listening task from 121 children (76 females, aged 40-67 months), who were also genotyped for the short and long allele of 5-HTTLPR. The effect of selective attention was measured as the difference in ERP mean amplitudes elicited by identical probe stimuli embedded in stories when they were attended versus unattended. Compared to children homozygous for the long allele, children who carried at least one copy of the short allele showed larger effects of selective attention on neural processing. These findings link the short allele of the 5-HTTLPR to enhanced neural mechanisms of selective attention and lay the groundwork for future studies of gene-by-environment interactions in the context of key cognitive skills.

Keywords: 5-HTTLPR; ERP; Preschoolers; Selective attention.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Electrode configuration for event-related brain potential (ERP) recordings. The 24 electrodes included in analyses are bolded and specified in the text.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Mean amplitudes (μV) of ERP selection attention effect, averaged across all channels included in the analyses. Long-long children had smaller ERP mean amplitudes than children who carried at least one short allele. Error bars represent +/− 1 SE. * p < 0.05.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Grand-average ERP waveforms showing ERPs elicited by the attend and unattend conditions for children with the long-long genotype. For this, and all subsequent ERP figures, negative is plotted upward.
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Grand-average ERP waveforms showing ERPs elicited by the attend and unattend conditions for children with the short-long genotype.
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
Grand-average ERP waveforms showing ERPs elicited by the attend and unattend conditions for children with the short-short genotype.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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