@article{HohmannZohselBuchmannetal.2016,
  author    = {Hohmann, Sarah and Zohsel, Katrin and Buchmann, Arlette F. and Blomeyer, Dorothea and Holz, Nathalie and Boecker-Schlier, Regina and Jennen-Steinmetz, Christine and Rietschel, Marcella and Witt, Stephanie H. and Schmidt, Martin H. and Esser, G{\"u}nter and Meyer-Lindenberg, Andreas and Banaschewski, Tobias and Brandeis, Daniel and Hohm, Erika and Laucht, Manfred},
  title     = {Interacting effect of MAOA genotype and maternal prenatal smoking on aggressive behavior in young adulthood},
  series = {Journal of neural transmission},
  volume    = {123},
  journal   = {Journal of neural transmission},
  publisher = {Springer},
  address   = {Wien},
  issn      = {0300-9564},
  doi       = {10.1007/s00702-016-1582-x},
  pages     = {885 -- 894},
  year      = {2016},
  abstract  = {Findings on the etiology of aggressive behavior have provided evidence for an effect both of genetic factors, such as variation in the monoamine oxidase A (MAOA) gene, and adverse environmental factors. Recent studies have supported the existence of gene × environment interactions, with early experiences playing a key role. In the present study, the effects of prenatal nicotine exposure, MAOA genotype and their interaction on aggressive behavior during young adulthood were examined. In a sample of 272 young adults (129 males, 143 females) from an epidemiological cohort study, smoking during pregnancy was measured with a standardized parent interview at the offspring's age of 3 months. Aggressive behavior was assessed between the ages of 19 and 25 years using the Young Adult Self-Report. DNA was genotyped for the MAOA 5\&\#8242; untranslated region variable number of tandem repeats polymorphism (VNTR). Results revealed a significant interaction between MAOA and smoking during pregnancy, indicating higher levels of aggressive behavior in young adults carrying the MAOA low-expressing genotype who had experienced prenatal nicotine exposure (n = 8, p = .025). In contrast, in carriers of the MAOA high-expressing genotype, maternal smoking during pregnancy had no effect on aggressive behavior during young adulthood (n = 20, p = .145). This study extends earlier findings demonstrating an interaction between MAOA genotype and prenatal nicotine exposure on aggressive behavior into young adulthood. The results point to the long-term adverse effects of smoking during pregnancy on the offspring's mental health, possibly underlining the importance of smoking cessation during pregnancy. According to the nature of the study (particularly sample size and power), analyses are exploratory and results need to be interpreted cautiously.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{HolzBoeckerSchlierBuchmannetal.2016,
  author    = {Holz, Nathalie and Boecker-Schlier, Regina and Buchmann, Arlette F. and Blomeyer, Dorothea and Baumeister, Sarah and Hohmann, Sarah and Jennen-Steinmetz, Christine and Wolf, Isabella and Rietschel, Marcella and Witt, Stephanie H. and Plichta, Michael M. and Meyer-Lindenberg, Andreas and Schmidt, Martin H. and Esser, G{\"u}nter and Banaschewski, Tobias and Brandeis, Daniel and Laucht, Manfred},
  title     = {Evidence for a Sex-Dependent MAOAx Childhood Stress Interaction in the Neural Circuitry of Aggression},
  series = {Cerebral cortex},
  volume    = {26},
  journal   = {Cerebral cortex},
  publisher = {Oxford Univ. Press},
  address   = {Cary},
  issn      = {1047-3211},
  doi       = {10.1093/cercor/bhu249},
  pages     = {904 -- 914},
  year      = {2016},
  abstract  = {Converging evidence emphasizes the role of an interaction between monoamine oxidase A (MAOA) genotype, environmental adversity, and sex in the pathophysiology of aggression. The present study aimed to clarify the impact of this interaction on neural activity in aggression-related brain systems. Functional magnetic resonance imaging was performed in 125 healthy adults from a high-risk community sample followed since birth. DNA was genotyped for the MAOA-VNTR (variable number of tandem repeats). Exposure to childhood life stress (CLS) between the ages of 4 and 11 years was assessed using a standardized parent interview, aggression by the Youth/Young Adult Self-Report between the ages of 15 and 25 years, and the VIRA-R (Vragenlijst Instrumentele En Reactieve Agressie) at the age of 15 years. Significant interactions were obtained between MAOA genotype, CLS, and sex relating to amygdala, hippocampus, and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) response, respectively. Activity in the amygdala and hippocampus during emotional face-matching increased with the level of CLS in male MAOA-L, while decreasing in male MAOA-H, with the reverse pattern present in females. Findings in the opposite direction in the ACC during a flanker NoGo task suggested that increased emotional activity coincided with decreased inhibitory control. Moreover, increasing amygdala activity was associated with higher Y(A)SR aggression in male MAOA-L and female MAOA-H carriers. Likewise, a significant association between amygdala activity and reactive aggression was detected in female MAOA-H carriers. The results point to a moderating role of sex in the MAOAx CLS interaction for intermediate phenotypes of emotional and inhibitory processing, suggesting a possible mechanism in conferring susceptibility to violence-related disorders.},
  language  = {en}
}