A Longitudinal Analysis of Gene x Environment Interaction on Verbal Intelligence Across Adolescence and Early Adulthood.

The Scarr-Rowe hypothesis proposes that the heritability of intelligence is higher in more advantaged socioeconomic contexts. An early demonstration of this hypothesis was Rowe and colleagues (Rowe et al., Child Dev 70:1151-1162, 1999), where an interaction between the heritability of verbal intelligence and parental education was identified in adolescent siblings in Wave I of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health. The present study repeated their original analysis at Wave I using contemporary methods, replicated the finding during young adulthood at Wave III, and analyzed the interaction longitudinally utilizing multiple measurements. We examined parental education, family income, and peer academic environment as potential moderators. Results indicated increased heritability and decreased shared environmental variance of verbal intelligence at higher levels of parental education and peer academic environment in adolescence. Moreover, moderation by peer academic environment persisted into adulthood with its effect partially attributable to novel gene-environment interactions that arose in the process of cognitive development.

The Differential Impact of Parenting on Adolescent Externalizing Behaviors in the Context of Maternal Stress.

The effectiveness of parenting on child outcomes may be dependent on other contextual factors. To date, few studies have focused on the potential moderating effect of maternal stress on the relationship between parenting and youth externalizing behaviors. This study extends prior work by assessing how the relationship between parenting and youth outcomes varies by the presence of maternal stress, while focusing on the developmental period of adolescence and two dimensions of parenting, parental knowledge and maternal warmth. Data were collected from 278 Mother-adolescent dyads (Madolescent age = 14.05; 53.2% females; 61.9% minority) on maternal stress, maternal warmth and parental knowledge, and youth aggression and delinquency. Multi-level regression models found significant two-way interactions between parental knowledge and maternal stress on aggression and between maternal warmth and maternal stress on both outcomes. Parental knowledge was associated with lower aggression in the context of high maternal stress, but warmth only attenuated the risk of youth outcomes among low maternal stress. This study highlights the importance of considering how contextual factors impact the relationship between parenting and youth externalizing behaviors.

A Secondary Traumatic Stress Reduction Program in Emergency Room Nurses.

Introduction: Secondary traumatic stress is highly prevalent among nurses, especially among nurses working within the emergency department (ED). Reducing healthcare worker secondary traumatic stress is important for ensuring the delivery of high quality, safe patient care. This paper reports on the development and implementation of a secondary traumatic stress reduction program. Methods: We used an adaption of a 5-week intervention based on the Accelerated Recovery Program to test whether there would be a reduction in secondary traumatic stress in a pilot sample of nine ED nurses. Outcomes were assessed using the Secondary Traumatic Stress Scale (STSS), Somatic Symptoms Scale (SSS), and Compassion Satisfaction subscale (CSS) measures. Results: Eight of nine nurses were able to complete at least three of the five sessions. Results indicate significant change in STSS (F[5,23] = 4.22, p = .007) and SSS (F[3,15] = 4.42, p = .02) scores, but not CSS (F[5,23] = 0.83, p = .54) scores. Pairwise comparisons revealed that the beneficial effects of the program happened early. For both STSS and SSS, scores at sessions 1 and 2 were generally higher than subsequent sessions. We also found a trend for continued effects on STSS at a four-month follow-up (t23 = 1.95, p = .064). Conclusion: Overall, results indicate the 5-week program was associated with a significant reduction in secondary traumatic stress and related somatic symptoms in healthcare workers.

Race, health, and socioeconomic disparities associated with malingering in psychiatric patients at an urban emergency department.

OBJECTIVE: To examine clinical and sociodemographic differences between psychiatric patients suspected of malingering and non-malingering controls in an urban emergency department (ED) setting. METHODS: We used retrospective chart review to compare 57 psychiatric patients suspected of malingering with 195 date-matched controls. We examined evidence used for malingering and documented secondary gains. RESULTS: The prevalence of malingering was 5.6-7.1%, with documented evidence consistent with DSM-V guidelines. Malingering patients were more likely to be male (p < .001), > 45 years old (p = .002), Black (p = .049), unhoused (p < .001), and frequent users of ED (p < .001). Psychiatric diagnoses were found in ~75% of malingerers. Diagnosis of antisocial personality (OR = 8.03, p = .013) and substance use disorder (OR = 2.05, p = .018) predicted increased probability of malingering. Malingering encounters were more likely to result in discharges (p < .001). The most common secondary gains were unmet clinical needs. CONCLUSIONS: Results support adaptational models of malingering. Malingering patients are more likely to have sociodemographic vulnerabilities. A disproportionate number of malingering patients have unmet needs for psychiatric treatment and resources. The study provides further evidence for inequities that may be related to social and structural determinants of health.

Association of baseline semantic fluency and progression to mild cognitive impairment in middle-aged men.

OBJECTIVE: To test the hypothesis that individual differences in episodic memory and verbal fluency in cognitively normal middle-aged adults will predict progression to amnestic mild cognitive impairment (MCI) after 6 years. METHOD: The cohort analyzed included 842 male twins who were cognitively normal at baseline (mean 56 years) and completed measures of episodic memory and verbal fluency at baseline and again 6 years later (mean 62 years). RESULTS: Poor episodic memory predicted progression to both amnestic MCI (odds ratio [OR], 4.42; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.44-10.60) and nonamnestic MCI (OR, 1.92; 95% CI, 1.32-3.44). Poor semantic verbal fluency also independently predicted progression to amnestic MCI (OR, 1.86; 95% CI, 1.12-3.52). In the full sample, a semantic-specific fluency latent variable at wave 1 (which controls for letter fluency) predicted change in episodic memory at wave 2 (ß = 0.13), but not vice versa (ß = 0.04). Associations between episodic memory and verbal fluency factors were primarily explained by genetic, rather than environmental, correlations. CONCLUSIONS: Among individuals who were cognitively normal at wave 1, episodic memory moderately to strongly predicted progression to MCI at average age 62, emphasizing the fact that there is still meaningful variability even among cognitively normal individuals. Episodic memory, which is typically a primary focus for Alzheimer disease (AD) risk, declined earlier and more quickly than fluency. However, semantic fluency at average age 56 predicted 6-year change in memory as well as progression to amnestic MCI even after accounting for baseline memory performance. These findings emphasize the utility of memory and fluency measures in early identification of AD risk.

Genetic Underpinnings of Increased BMI and Its Association With Late Midlife Cognitive Abilities.

Objectives: First, we test for differences in various cognitive abilities across trajectories of body mass index (BMI) over the later life course. Second, we examine whether genetic risk factors for unhealthy BMIs-assessed via polygenic risk scores (PRS)-predict cognitive abilities in late-life. Methods: The study used a longitudinal sample of Vietnam veteran males to explore the associations between BMI trajectories, measured across four time points, and later cognitive abilities. The sample of 977 individuals was drawn from the Vietnam Era Twin Study of Aging. Cognitive abilities evaluated included executive function, abstract reasoning, episodic memory, processing speed, verbal fluency, and visual spatial ability. Multilevel linear regression models were used to estimate the associations between BMI trajectories and cognitive abilities. Then, BMI PRS was added to the models to evaluate polygenic associations with cognitive abilities. Results: There were no significant differences in cognitive ability between any of the BMI trajectory groups. There was a significant inverse relationship between BMI-PRS and several cognitive ability measures. Discussion: While no associations emerged for BMI trajectories and cognitive abilities at the phenotypic levels, BMI PRS measures did correlate with key cognitive domains. Our results suggest possible polygenic linkages cutting across key components of the central and peripheral nervous system.

Racial and ethnic comparison of ecological risk factors and youth outcomes: A test of the desensitization hypothesis.

Minority youth, because of structural, ecological, and societal inequalities, are at heightened risk of reporting depression and experiencing negative sanctions associated with delinquency. Sociological theories suggest that greater exposure to ecological risk factors at the peer, family, school and community levels are associated with elevated rates of youth depression and delinquency. Desensitization theory posits that repeated exposures to ongoing stressors result in a numbing of psychological and behavioral responses. Thus, it remains unclear whether racial/ethnic differences exist with regards to how contextual stressors correlate with depression and delinquency. Using a sample of 616 Black, 687 Latinx, and 1,318 White youth, this study explores racial/ethnic differences across four ecological risk factors of risky peers, low family warmth, poor school engagement, and community violence as they relate to youth delinquency and depression. Data were collected through in-school survey of youth from 16 public schools surrounding a major city in the Midwest. Significant racial/ethnic differences provided partial support for the desensitization theory. Among Black youth, the magnitude of relationships between ecological risk factors and delinquency was significantly weaker for three of the four predictors and for all four predictors of depression in comparison to White youth. Among Latinx youth, the magnitude of relationships between ecological risk factors was significantly weaker for depression, but not delinquency, in comparison to White youth. Results indicate that ecological risk factors may have differential associations to youth depression and delinquency, which may call for culturally tailored intervention approaches.

Posttraumatic stress symptom persistence across 24 years: association with brain structures.

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is known to persist, eliciting early medical co-morbidity, and accelerated aging. Although PTSD diagnosis has been found to be associated with smaller volume in multiple brain regions, posttraumatic stress (PTS) symptoms and their associations with brain morphometry are rarely assessed over long periods of time. We predicted that persistent PTS symptoms across ~24 years would be inversely associated with hippocampal, amygdala, anterior cingulate volumes, and hippocampal occupancy (HOC = hippocampal volume/[hippocampal volume + inferior lateral ventricle volume]) in late middle age. Exploratory analyses examined prefrontal regions. We assessed PTS symptoms in 247 men at average ages 38 (time 1) and 62 (time 2). All were trauma-exposed prior to time 1. Brain volumes were assessed at time 2 using 3 T structural magnetic resonance imaging. Symptoms were correlated over time (r = 0.46 p < .0001). Higher PTS symptoms averaged over time and symptoms at time 1 were both associated with lower hippocampal, amygdala, rostral middle frontal gyrus (MFG), and medial orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) volumes, and a lower HOC ratio at time 2. Increased PTS symptomatology from time 1 to time 2 was associated with smaller hippocampal volume. Results for hippocampal, rostral MFG and medial OFC remained significant after omitting individuals above the threshold for PTSD diagnosis. Even at sub-diagnostic threshold levels, PTS symptoms were present decades after trauma exposure in parallel with highly correlated structural deficits in brain regions regulating stress responsivity and adaptation.

Psychometric properties of the Community Violence-Prevention Activation Measure (CV-PAM): Evaluating provider activation toward community violence prevention.

This study reports on the conceptualization of activation, and the development and psychometrics of the Community Violence-Prevention Activation Measure (CV-PAM). The CV-PAM was adapted from the Patient Activation Measure (PAM; Hibbard et al., 2004, Health Serv Res, 39, 1005-1026; Hibbard et al., 2005, Health Serv Res, 40, 1918-1930) for use among a workforce servicing youth exposed to community violence. Activation toward community violence prevention is defined as a process in which community members are activated to prevent violence, believe they have important roles to play in violence prevention and supporting the well-being of community members. Activated community members have a good understanding of the factors that contribute to violence and they apply skills and strategies that are consistent with prevention efforts. Six hundred and ninety-four youth providers completed the 18-item CV-PAM to describe their level of activation toward community violence. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were performed and demonstrated that a three factor versus a four factor structure of activation (modeled after PAM) held together. The three factors included (a) belief that an active role is important to address community violence; (b) having the confidence and knowledge to take action around community violence prevention; (c) taking action: frequency of participation and responsiveness to community needs. The proposed fourth factor, staying the course under stress, did not have any qualifying loadings, and thus, could not be interpreted. CV-PAM performed well in tests of reliability and validity. The CV-PAM appears to be a precise, valid, reliable, and useful measure. Implications suggest that using this tool is potentially the first step toward understanding activation among engaged providers and a stepping stone toward increased involvement in community violence prevention through implementation and dissemination efforts.

Body mass trajectories and cortical thickness in middle-aged men: a 42-year longitudinal study starting in young adulthood.

Evidence strongly suggests that being overweight or obese at midlife confers significantly higher risk for Alzheimer's disease and greater brain atrophy later in life. Few studies, however, examine associations between longitudinal changes in adiposity during early adulthood and later brain morphometry. Measures of body mass index (BMI) were collected in 373 men from the Vietnam Era Twin Study of Aging at average ages 20, 40, 56, and 62 years, yielding 2 BMI trajectories. We then examined associations between BMI phenotypes (trajectories, continuous BMI, obese/nonobese), cortical thickness, and white matter measures from structural magnetic resonance imaging at mean age 62 (time 4, range 56-66 years). Those on the obesity trajectory (N = 171) had a thinner cortex compared with the normal/lean trajectory (N = 202) in multiple frontal and temporal lobe bilateral regions of interest: superior, inferior, middle temporal gyri, temporal pole, fusiform gyrus, banks of the superior temporal sulcus, frontal pole, pars triangularis, caudal and rostral middle frontal gyri (all p < 0.05, false discovery rate corrected). Frontal lobe thinness tended to occur mainly in the right hemisphere. Results were similar for obese versus nonobese adults at age 62. There were no significant differences for white matter volume or abnormalities. Taken in the context of other research, these associations between brain structures and excess BMI at midlife suggest potential for increased risk for cognitive decline in later life.

Genetic and Environmental Associations Among Executive Functions, Trait Anxiety, and Depression Symptoms in Middle Age.

Multiple executive functions (EFs) are associated with trait anxiety and depression symptoms, but it is unclear how genetic and/or environmental factors account for these associations, and if they are explained by general variance underlying multiple EFs (i.e., Common EF). In this study, 1207 male twins completed seven EF tasks and measures of trait anxiety and depression symptoms at average age 62. The Common EF factor was associated with both anxiety (r= -.25) and depression symptoms (r= -.35). Anxiety and depression had near complete genetic overlap (r g=.96). Genetic influences shared with depression accounted for 83% of the phenotypic correlation between anxiety and Common EF. For depression, the phenotypic correlation with Common EF was explained by genetic influences shared with anxiety (69%), but also nonshared environmental influences distinct from anxiety (20%). These results suggest that genetic influences on Common EF play a role in the observed genetic overlap between anxiety and depression.

Associations Between Pet Ownership and Attitudes Toward Pets With Youth Socioemotional Outcomes.

Evidence regarding the effects of pet ownership and related variables on youth socioemotional development is mixed. Inconsistencies across studies may be due to a variety of factors, including the use of different outcomes measured across studies, small potential effect sizes, and use of selected samples. In addition, studies have not systematically controlled for demographic characteristics that may bias results, nor have studies systematically examined whether effects are consistent across different subgroups. The present study examined the impact of pet ownership and attitudes toward pets on four measures of youth socioemotional outcomes: delinquency, depressed mood, empathy, and prosocial behavior. Linear mixed-effect regression analyses were conducted on 342 youth (48.0% male) aged 9-19 (M = 14.05, SD = 1.77) from a racially, ethnically, and socioeconomically diverse sample. The majority (59.1%) of youth currently lived with a dog or cat and all participants completed the Pet Attitude Scale-Modified. Pet owners reported lower delinquency and higher empathy than non-owners; however, group differences became non-significant once demographic factors were controlled for. Attitudes toward pets was significantly associated with all four outcomes. More positive attitudes was modestly associated with lower delinquency (ß = -0.22, p < 0.001) and higher empathy (ß = 0.31, p < 0.001), with smaller effects for depressed mood (ß = -0.12, p = 0.04) and prosocial behavior (ß = 0.12, p = 0.02). For delinquency, empathy, and prosocial behavior, effects were only slightly attenuated and remained statistically significant after controlling for gender, age, race/ethnicity, family socioeconomic status, and pet ownership, although the effect for depressed mood became non-significant after inclusion of these demographic factors. While there was some variability in effect sizes across different subgroups, none of the interactions between attitudes toward pets and gender, race/ethnicity, age, family SES, or pet ownership was statistically significant, indicating that the effects may transcend individual differences in demographic characteristics. Overall, the study adds to a growing body of work supporting a positive relationship between emotional bonds with pets and youth socioemotional outcomes and offers potential explanations for inconsistencies across previous studies.

Mediators of the Effect of Childhood Socioeconomic Status on Late Midlife Cognitive Abilities: A Four Decade Longitudinal Study.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Childhood socioeconomic status (cSES) is found to predict later-life cognitive abilities, yet the mechanisms underlying these associations remain unclear. The objective of this longitudinal study was to examine the direct and indirect paths through which cSES influences late midlife cognitive outcomes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Participants were 1,009 male twins in the Vietnam Era Twin Study of Aging (VETSA). At mean ages 20 and 62, participants completed a standardized test for general cognitive ability (GCA). The age 62 cognitive assessment also included in-person tests of processing speed, episodic memory, abstract reasoning, working memory, verbal fluency, visual-spatial ability, and executive functions. At mean age 56, participants were interviewed regarding their own and their parents' education and occupation, and completed questionnaires about cognitive leisure activities and sociodemographic information. Multiple mediation analyses were conducted to examine the direct path effects and indirect path effects of cSES through age 20 GCA, adult SES, and cognitive leisure activities on seven cognitive outcomes at age 62, adjusting for age, ethnicity, and non-independence of observations. RESULTS: Total (direct plus indirect) effects were significant for all measures with the exception of executive functions. Men from lower cSES backgrounds had poorer cognitive functioning in late midlife. The direct effect of cSES was partially mediated for abstract reasoning, and was fully mediated for the remaining six cognitive outcomes. Total indirect effects accounted for at least half of the total effects in each model, with paths through age 20 GCA explaining most of the total indirect effects. DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS: cSES predicted cognitive functioning in late middle age Using multiple mediation models, we show that lower cSES predicts poorer cognition in late midlife primarily through young adult cognitive ability and to a lesser extent through SES in adulthood and engagement in cognitively stimulating activities.

Underdiagnosis of mild cognitive impairment: A consequence of ignoring practice effects.

INTRODUCTION: Longitudinal testing is necessary to accurately measure cognitive change. However, repeated testing is susceptible to practice effects, which may obscure true cognitive decline and delay detection of mild cognitive impairment (MCI). METHODS: We retested 995 late-middle-aged men in a ∼6-year follow-up of the Vietnam Era Twin Study of Aging. In addition, 170 age-matched replacements were tested for the first time at study wave 2. Group differences were used to calculate practice effects after controlling for attrition effects. MCI diagnoses were generated from practice-adjusted scores. RESULTS: There were significant practice effects on most cognitive domains. Conversion to MCI doubled after correcting for practice effects, from 4.5% to 9%. Importantly, practice effects were present although there were declines in uncorrected scores. DISCUSSION: Accounting for practice effects is critical to early detection of MCI. Declines, when lower than expected, can still indicate practice effects. Replacement participants are needed for accurately assessing disease progression.

Genetic and Environmental Influences on Verbal Fluency in Middle Age: A Longitudinal Twin Study.

Mounting evidence suggests that measures of phonemic fluency and semantic fluency are differentially associated with other cognitive and health phenotypes, but few studies have examined their shared and unique variance, especially using genetically-informative designs. In this study, 1464 middle-aged twins completed six fluency subtests at up to two time-points (mean age 56 and 62 years). Confirmatory factor analyses supported a two-factor solution: a General Fluency latent factor explained variation in all six subtests and a Semantic-Specific factor accounted for additional variance in semantic subtests. Both factors were explained primarily by genetic influences at both waves (a2 = 0.57-0.76). There was considerable stability of individual differences over 6 years (r = .90 for General Fluency, r = .81 for Semantic-Specific), especially for genetic influences (rg = .94 and 1.0, respectively). These results suggest that semantic fluency can be viewed as a combination of general and semantic-specific variance, but phonemic fluency is captured entirely by the general factor.

Stability of genetic and environmental influences on executive functions in midlife.

Research on executive functions (EFs) has revealed that individual differences in general EF abilities are highly correlated across the first few decades of life, especially at the level of genetic influences. Our work has also provided evidence for substantial heritability of this Common EF factor in midlife, but it remains unclear whether individual differences in Common EFs continue to show strong stability in middle age. We examined data from 1,464 middle-aged twins from the Vietnam Era Twin Study of Aging, most of whom completed 7 neuropsychological measures of EFs at 2 points in middle age (Mages = 56 and 62). Confirmatory factor analysis indicated that individual differences in Common EF, a latent factor explaining variation in seven neuropsychological EF tasks, were highly correlated across this 6-year period (r = .97), and that the same genetic and environmental influences were operating across this interval (genetic and shared environmental correlations = 1.0, nonshared environment correlation = .95). Similar phenotypic and genetic stability was observed for a Working Memory (WM)-Specific latent factor, which explained additional variance in working memory span tasks not captured by Common EF (r = .98, genetic correlation = 1.0, nonshared environmental correlation = .88). There was a large mean-level performance decline in Common EF (d = -.60) but not WM-Specific (d = -.03). These results suggest that there is substantial decline in Common EF abilities across middle age but that individual differences are almost perfectly stable. (PsycINFO Database Record

Catatonia Under-Diagnosis in the General Hospital.

Catatonia is under-diagnosed in psychiatric settings. No studies have explored the under-diagnosis of catatonia in general hospitals. The authors conducted a retrospective chart review using DSM-5 criteria to diagnose catatonia in medical inpatients between 2011 and 2013. Of 133 case subjects meeting DSM-5 criteria for catatonia retrospectively, 79 had never been diagnosed and 54 had a documented diagnosis. Multiple logistic regression revealed that psychiatry consultation significantly decreased the odds of under-diagnosis of catatonia, whereas presence of agitation, grimacing, or echolalia increased the likelihood of under-diagnosis. Under-diagnosed case subjects received significantly lower doses of lorazepam, and increased mortality during admission and increased length of hospital stay both fell short of statistical significance in this group. Catatonia appears to be frequently under-diagnosed in the general hospital, and psychiatry consultation services play a crucial role in its detection and treatment. Strategies to improve recognition and treatment of catatonia should be implemented.

Association of Sleep Quality on Memory-Related Executive Functions in Middle Age.

OBJECTIVES: Sleep quality affects memory and executive function in older adults, but little is known about its effects in midlife. If it affects cognition in midlife, it may be a modifiable factor for later-life functioning. METHODS: We examined the association between sleep quality and cognition in 1220 middle-aged male twins (age 51-60 years) from the Vietnam Era Twin Study of Aging. We interviewed participants with the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and tested them for episodic memory as well as executive functions of inhibitory and interference control, updating in working memory, and set shifting. Interference control was assessed during episodic memory, inhibitory control during working memory, and non-memory conditions and set shifting during working memory and non-memory conditions. RESULTS: After adjusting for covariates and correcting for multiple comparisons, sleep quality was positively associated with updating in working memory, set shifting in the context of working memory, and better visual-spatial (but not verbal) episodic memory, and at trend level, with interference control in the context of episodic memory. CONCLUSIONS: Sleep quality was associated with visual-spatial recall and possible resistance to proactive/retroactive interference. It was also associated with updating in working memory and with set shifting, but only when working memory demands were relatively high. Thus, effects of sleep quality on midlife cognition appear to be at the intersection of executive function and memory processes. Subtle deficits in these age-susceptible cognitive functions may indicate increased risk for decline in cognitive abilities later in life that might be reduced by improved midlife sleep quality. (JINS, 2018, 24, 67-76).

Genetic and environmental architecture of executive functions in midlife.

OBJECTIVE: Research on executive functions (EFs) has revealed evidence for general abilities that underlie performance across multiple EF tasks and domains. This Common EF factor is highly stable in adolescence through young adulthood, correlates with other important cognitive abilities, and is explained largely by genetic influences. However, little is known about Common EF beyond young adulthood. This study examines 3 hypotheses regarding the latent structure, genetic/environmental etiology, and cognitive correlates of Common EF in middle age. METHOD: We examined data from 1,284 middle-aged twins (51-60 years) in the Vietnam Era Twin Study of Aging who completed 7 neuropsychological measures of EFs, as well as measures of general cognitive ability and processing speed. RESULTS: Our confirmatory factor analysis indicated that Common EF explained variation across all 7 EF tasks. Inhibition and shifting were subsumed entirely under the Common EF factor, and there was an additional working memory span-specific factor. Common EF was heritable in midlife (a2 = .46), with additional evidence for both shared environmental influences (c2 = .41) and nonshared environmental influences (e2 = .13). Higher Common EF was moderately associated with higher general cognitive ability, measured both in early adulthood and midlife, and faster processing speed in midlife. These correlations were primarily driven by shared genetic influences. CONCLUSIONS: These results support the hypothesis that Common EF captures similar EF abilities in midlife as in adolescence and young adulthood. However, environmental influences may explain a larger portion of variance in this construct as individuals age. (PsycINFO Database Record

Reduced frontal grey matter, life history of aggression, and underlying genetic influence.

Physically healthy, adult, same-sexed twins (n = 287) from a population-based twin cohort underwent high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to identify fronto-limbic brain regions significantly associated with lifetime history of aggression. MRI scans used a 3D magnetization-prepared rapid acquisition gradient-echo (MP-RAGE) sequence, for voxel-based morphometry (VBM) and history of aggressive behavior was assessed using the Life History of Aggression measure. Aggression had modest, inverse associations with grey matter volume (GMV) in medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC, b = -0.20, se = 0.05, p < 0.001) and lateral prefrontal cortex (lPFC, b = -0.23, se = 0.06, p < 0.001). These associations were not confounded by other demographic, psychiatric, or personality factors. Biometrical twin analyses revealed significant heritabilities of 0.57 for GMV in the mPFC cluster and 0.36 for GMV in the lPFC cluster. Genetic factors accounted for the majority of the phenotypic correlations between aggression and mPFC GMV (85.3%) and between aggression and lPFC GMV (63.7%). Reduced GMV of prefrontal brain regions may be a neuronal characteristic of individuals with substantial histories of aggressive behavior regardless of psychiatric diagnosis. As such, these data suggest an anatomical correlate, with a possible genetic etiology, associated with functional deficits in social-emotional information processing.