Citation

Polanczyk G, Caspi A, Williams B, Price TS, Danese A, Sugden K, Uher R, Poulton R, Moffitt TE. Arch. Gen. Psychiatry 2009; 66(9): 978-985.

Affiliation

Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Institute for Genome Sciences and Policy, Duke University, 2020 W Main St, Ste 201, Durham, NC 27708, USA. gvp.ez@terra.com.br

Copyright

(Copyright © 2009, American Medical Association)

DOI

10.1001/archgenpsychiatry.2009.114

PMID

19736354

Abstract

CONTEXT: A previous study reported a gene x environment interaction in which a haplotype in the corticotropin-releasing hormone receptor 1 gene (CRHR1) was associated with protection against adult depressive symptoms in individuals who were maltreated as children (as assessed by the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire [CTQ]). OBJECTIVE: To replicate the interaction between childhood maltreatment and a TAT haplotype formed by rs7209436, rs110402, and rs242924 in CRHR1, predicting adult depression. DESIGN: Two prospective longitudinal cohort studies. SETTING: England and New Zealand. PARTICIPANTS: Participants in the first sample were women in the E-Risk Study (N = 1116), followed up to age 40 years with 96% retention. Participants in the second sample were men and women in the Dunedin Study (N = 1037), followed up to age 32 years with 96% retention. Main Outcome Measure Research diagnoses of past-year and recurrent major depressive disorder. RESULTS: In the E-Risk Study, the TAT haplotype was associated with a significant protective effect. In this effect, women who reported childhood maltreatment on the CTQ were protected against depression. In the Dunedin Study, which used a different type of measure of maltreatment, this finding was not replicated. CONCLUSIONS: A haplotype in CRHR1 has been suggested to exert a protective effect against adult depression among research participants who reported maltreatment on the CTQ, a measure that elicits emotional memories. This suggests the hypothesis that CRHR1's protective effect may relate to its function in the consolidation of memories of emotionally arousing experiences.

Language: en