TY - JOUR A1 - Hohm, Erika A1 - Laucht, Manfred A1 - Zohsel, Katrin A1 - Schmidt, Martin H. A1 - Esser, Günter A1 - Brandeis, Daniel A1 - Banaschewski, Tobias T1 - Resilienz und Ressourcen im Verlauf der Entwicklung T1 - Resilience and Resources During Development BT - Von der frühen Kindheit bis zum Erwachsenenalter BT - From Early Childhood to Adulthood JF - Kindheit und Entwicklung N2 - Anhand von Daten der Mannheimer Risikokinderstudie, die sich mit der langfristigen Entwicklung von Kindern mit unterschiedlichen Risikobelastungen beschäftigt, wird gezeigt, wie Schutzfaktoren aufseiten des Kindes und seines familiären Umfelds im Verlauf der Entwicklung wirksam werden und zur Entstehung von Resilienz beitragen können. Eine besondere Rolle kommt dabei positiven frühen Eltern-Kind-Beziehungen zu (sowohl Mutter- als auch Vater-Kind-Interaktionen). Daneben spielen auch Interaktionserfahrungen im Alter von zwei Jahren des Kindes eine bedeutsame Rolle; diese schützen Risikokinder davor, eine ungünstige Entwicklung zu nehmen und tragen dazu bei, dass sich Kinder, die in psychosozialen Hochrisikofamilien aufwachsen, trotz ungünstiger „Startbedingungen“ positiv entwickeln. Neben Merkmalen der sozialen Umwelt nehmen auch sprachliche, sozial-emotionale und internale Kompetenzen des Kindes im Entwicklungsverlauf eine wichtige Rolle ein. Diese Kompetenzen ermöglichen es Risikokindern auch unter widrigen Lebensumständen (psychosoziale Hochrisikofamilien, Aufwachsen in Armutsverhältnissen) erfolgreich zu bestehen. Darüber hinaus zeigt die Arbeit, dass Resilienz ein Persönlichkeitsmerkmal ist, das ab dem frühen Erwachsenenalter eine hohe Stabilität besitzt. Mit diesen Befunden verweist die Arbeit auf die große Bedeutung der Resilienz bei der Vorhersage der langfristigen Entwicklung von Risikokindern. N2 - Resilience refers to the ability to successfully deal with stressful life circumstances and experiences and to cope with them. Based on data from the Mannheim Study of Children at Risk, which follows a sample of children at risk from birth to adulthood, the present paper provides convincing evidence demonstrating how protective factors in the child and his/her family environment operate during the course of development to contribute to the development of resilience. As shown, a major role is assigned to positive early parent–child relationships (both mother– and father–child interactions). Moreover, positive interactive experiences at the child’s age of 2 years play a significant role. These experiences consistently contribute to a positive child development in the face of adversity. In addition to characteristics of the social environment of the child, cognitive, social–emotional, and internal competencies during childhood, youth, and young adulthood play a major role in the development of resilience. These competencies enable children at risk who are growing up in psychosocial high-risk families or in poverty to successfully cope with conditions of high adversity. Moreover, the findings presented here demonstrate that resilience may be conceived as a personal characteristic that exhibits high stability since young adulthood. With these findings, the present study points to the significance of resilience in predicting the long-term outcome of children at risk. KW - protective factors KW - risk factors KW - longitudinal study KW - Mannheim Study of Children at Risk KW - early parent-child relationship KW - Schutzfaktoren KW - Risikofaktoren KW - Längsschnittstudie KW - Mannheimer Risikokinderstudie KW - frühe Eltern-Kind-Beziehung Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1026/0942-5403/a000236 SN - 0942-5403 SN - 2190-6246 VL - 26 SP - 230 EP - 239 PB - Hogrefe CY - Göttingen ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Zohsel, Katrin A1 - Holz, Nathalie E. A1 - Hohm, Erika A1 - Schmidt, Martin H. A1 - Esser, Günter A1 - Brandeis, Daniel A1 - Banaschewski, Tobias A1 - Laucht, Manfred T1 - Fewer self-reported depressive symptoms in young adults exposed to maternal depressed mood during pregnancy JF - Journal of Affective Disorders N2 - Background: Depressed mood is prevalent during pregnancy, with accumulating evidence suggesting an impact on developmental outcome in the offspring. However, the long-term effects of prenatal maternal depression regarding internalizing psychopathology in the offspring are as yet unclear. Results: In n=85 young adults exposed to prenatal maternal depressed mood, no significantly higher risk for a diagnosis of depressive disorder was observed. However, they reported significantly lower levels of depressive symptoms. This association was especially pronounced when prenatal maternal depressed mood was present during the first trimester of pregnancy and when maternal mood was depressed pre- as well as postnatally. At an uncorrected level only, prenatal maternal depressed mood was associated with decreased amygdala volume. Limitations: Prenatal maternal depressed mood was not assessed during pregnancy, but shortly after childbirth. No diagnoses of maternal clinical depression during pregnancy were available. Conclusions: Self-reported depressive symptoms do not imply increased, but rather decreased symptom levels in young adults who were exposed to prenatal maternal depressed mood. A long-term perspective may be important when considering consequences of prenatal risk factors. Y1 - 2016 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2016.08.059 SN - 0165-0327 SN - 1573-2517 VL - 209 SP - 155 EP - 162 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Meiser, Susanne A1 - Esser, Günter T1 - How dysfunctional are dysfunctional attitudes? BT - a threshold model of dysfunctional attitudes and depressive symptoms in children and adolescents JF - Cognitive Therapy and Research N2 - In order to clarify further the role of Beck’s vulnerability-stress model in the early development of depression, this longitudinal study tested a threshold model of dysfunctional attitudes in children and adolescents. An initially asymptomatic sample of 889 youths aged 9–18 years completed measures of dysfunctional attitudes and depressive symptoms. Twenty months later, participants reported stressful life events and current depressive symptoms. Results support a threshold view of cognitive vulnerability as only dysfunctional attitudes above a certain threshold significantly interacted with life events to predict depressive symptoms. Thus, findings suggest that dysfunctional attitudes must exceed a certain threshold to confer vulnerability to depressive symptomatology in youth. The term “dysfunctional” might therefore only apply to higher levels of the “dysfunctional attitudes” proposed by A. T. Beck. Results also indicate that studies using non-clinical samples may systematically underestimate the effect of dysfunctional attitudes when relying on conventional linear methods. KW - Cognitive vulnerability KW - Depression KW - Children KW - Adolescents KW - Dysfunctional attitudes KW - Threshold models Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/s10608-017-9842-0 SN - 0147-5916 SN - 1573-2819 VL - 41 SP - 730 EP - 744 PB - Springer CY - New York ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Esser, Günter A1 - Schmidt, Martin H. T1 - Die Mannheimer Risikokinderstudie T1 - The Mannheim Study of Children at Risk BT - Idee, Ziele und Design BT - Concept, Aims, and Design JF - Kindheit und Entwicklung N2 - Die Mannheimer Risikokinderstudie untersucht die psychische Entwicklung und ihre Störungen bei Kindern mit unterschiedlich ausgeprägten Risiken mit dem Ziel, Empfehlungen für die Verbesserung der Prävention, Früherkennung und Frühbehandlung von psychischen Störungen bei Kindern abzuleiten. Dazu begleitet sie eine Kohorte von anfangs 384 Kindern in ihrer Entwicklung von der Geburt bis zum Erwachsenenalter. Die Erhebungen fanden in regelmäßigen Abständen statt, beginnend im Alter von 3 Monaten, mit 2 Jahren, 4;6, 8, 11, 15, 19, 22, 23 und 25 Jahren. Geplant ist eine weitere Erhebung mit ca. 30 Jahren. N2 - The Mannheim Study of Children at Risk investigates psychological development and its disorders in children with different risks with the aim of delineating recommendations for improvements of prevention, early identification, and treatment of psychiatric disorders in children. Assessments are conducted at regular intervals, starting at the age of 3 months and then at 2, 4.5, 8, 11, 15, 19, 22, 23, and 25 years. The next assessment is planned for the age of about 30 years. KW - risk research KW - developmental psychopathology Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1026/0942-5403/a000232 SN - 0942-5403 SN - 2190-6246 VL - 26 SP - 198 EP - 202 PB - Hogrefe CY - Göttingen ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Pitzer, Martina A1 - Esser, Günter A1 - Schmidt, Martin H. A1 - Hohm, Erika A1 - Banaschewski, Tobias A1 - Laucht, Manfred T1 - Child regulative temperament as a mediator of parenting in the development of depressive symptoms BT - a longitudinal study from early childhood to preadolescence JF - Journal of neural transmission N2 - Child temperament as well as parenting behaviors have been linked to adolescent depression. Beyond their main effects, the interplay between these factors is of interest. For example, in an interactive model, a differential susceptibility of temperamental variants to parenting has been suggested. However, so far, the differential susceptibility hypothesis has mostly been studied with a focus on externalizing disorders. On the other hand, parenting may shape the child’s temperament and vice versa in a transactional process. In a prospective, longitudinal at-risk sample (163 boys, 176 girls), we assessed emotional (easy–difficult) and regulative (self-control) temperament at ages 4.5, and 8 years, respectively, as well as parenting quality at age 4.5 years using the HOME inventory. Hierarchical linear regression analysis was used to investigate the prediction of depressive symptoms at age 11, measured by the Child Depression Inventory, including interaction terms between the temperament variable and parenting. We additionally tested whether parenting was mediated by child temperament. As previously reported, both self-control and parenting were longitudinally associated with preadolescent depressive symptoms. There were no interactive effects between temperament and parenting. However, the effects of parenting were partly mediated by self-control. Our data do not support a differential susceptibility of temperamental variants in the development of preadolescent depression. However, our results are in line with the assumption that parenting may shape young children’s temperament, with positive parenting in the early childhood fostering the development of regulative temperament. KW - Temperament KW - Parenting KW - Children KW - Depression KW - Parent-child-interaction Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/s00702-017-1682-2 SN - 0300-9564 SN - 1435-1463 VL - 124 SP - 631 EP - 641 PB - Springer CY - Wien ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Holz, Nathalie E. A1 - Boecker-Schlier, Regina A1 - Buchmann, Arlette F. A1 - Blomeyer, Dorothea A1 - Jennen-Steinmetz, Christine A1 - Baumeister, Sarah A1 - Plichta, Michael M. A1 - Cattrell, Anna A1 - Schumann, Gunter A1 - Esser, Günter A1 - Schmidt, Martin A1 - Buitelaar, Jan A1 - Meyer-Lindenberg, Andreas A1 - Banaschewski, Tobias A1 - Brandeis, Daniel A1 - Laucht, Manfred T1 - Ventral striatum and amygdala activity as convergence sites for early adversity and conduct disorder JF - Frontiers in human neuroscience N2 - Childhood family adversity (CFA) increases the risk for conduct disorder (CD) and has been associated with alterations in regions of affective processing like ventral striatum (VS) and amygdala. However, no study so far has demonstrated neural converging effects of CFA and CD in the same sample. At age 25 years, functional MRI data during two affective tasks, i.e. a reward (N = 171) and a face-matching paradigm (N = 181) and anatomical scans (N = 181) were acquired in right-handed currently healthy participants of an epidemiological study followed since birth. CFA during childhood was determined using a standardized parent interview. Disruptive behaviors and CD diagnoses during childhood and adolescence were obtained by diagnostic interview (2–19 years), temperamental reward dependence was assessed by questionnaire (15 and 19 years). CFA predicted increased CD and amygdala volume. Both exposure to CFA and CD were associated with a decreased VS response during reward anticipation and blunted amygdala activity during face-matching. CD mediated the effect of CFA on brain activity. Temperamental reward dependence was negatively correlated with CFA and CD and positively with VS activity. These findings underline the detrimental effects of CFA on the offspring's affective processing and support the importance of early postnatal intervention programs aiming to reduce childhood adversity factors. KW - childhood adversity KW - conduct disorder KW - amygdala KW - ventral striatum KW - fMRI Y1 - 2016 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1093/scan/nsw120 SN - 1749-5016 SN - 1749-5024 VL - 12 IS - 2 SP - 261 EP - 272 PB - Oxford Univ. Press CY - Oxford ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Wyschkon, Anne A1 - Schulz, Franziska A1 - Gallit, Finja Sunnyi A1 - Poltz, Nadine A1 - Kohn-Henkel, Juliane A1 - Moraske, Svenja A1 - Bondü, Rebecca A1 - von Aster, Michael G. A1 - Esser, Günter T1 - 5-Jahres-Verlauf der LRS T1 - 5-year course of dyslexia BT - Stabilität, Geschlechtseffekte, Schriftsprachniveau und Schulerfolg BT - Persistence, sex effects, performance in reading and spelling, and school-related success JF - Zeitschrift für Kinder- und Jugendpsychiatrie und Psychotherapie N2 - Fragestellung: Untersucht wird der Verlauf von Kindern mit Lese-Rechtschreibstörungen (LRS) über gut 5 Jahre unter Berücksichtigung des Einflusses des Geschlechts der Betroffenen. Außerdem werden Auswirkungen der LRS auf das spätere Schriftsprachniveau und den Schulerfolg überprüft. Methodik: Eingangs wurden 995 Schüler zwischen 6 und 16 Jahren untersucht. Ein Teil dieser Kinder ist nach 43 sowie 63 Monaten nachuntersucht worden. Eine LRS wurde diagnostiziert, wenn für das Lesen bzw. Rechtschreiben das doppelte Diskrepanzkriterium von 1.5 Standardabweichungen zur nonverbalen Intelligenz und dem Mittelwert der Klassenstufe erfüllt war und gleichzeitig keine Minderbegabung vorlag. Ergebnisse: Die LRS weist über einen Zeitraum von 63 Monaten eine hohe Störungspersistenz von knapp 70 % auf. Der 5-Jahres-Verlauf der mittleren Lese- und Rechtschreibleistungen wurde nicht vom Geschlecht beeinflusst. Trotz durchschnittlicher Intelligenz blieben die LRS-Schüler in der Schriftsprache mindestens eine Standardabweichung hinter durchschnittlich und etwa 0.5 Standardabweichungseinheiten hinter unterdurchschnittlich intelligenten Kindern zurück. Der Schulerfolg der LRS-Schüler glich dem unterdurchschnittlich intelligenter Kinder und fiel deutlich schlechter aus als bei durchschnittlich intelligenten Kontrollkindern. Schlussfolgerungen: Eine LRS stellt ein erhebliches Entwicklungsrisiko dar, was frühzeitige Diagnostik- und Therapiemaßnahmen erfordert. Dafür sind reliable und im Hinblick auf die resultierenden Prävalenzraten sinnvolle, allgemein anerkannte Diagnosekriterien essenziell. N2 - Objective: The study examines the 5-year course of children with dyslexia with regard to their sex. Furthermore, the study investigates the impact of dyslexia on the performance in reading and spelling skills and school-related success. Method: A group of 995 6- to 16-year-olds were examined at the initial assessment. Part of the initial sample was then re-examined after 43 and 63 months. The diagnosis of dyslexia was based on the double discrepancy criterion using a standard deviation of 1.5. Though they had no intellectual deficits, the children showed a considerable discrepancy between their reading or writing abilities and (1) their nonverbal intelligence and (2) the mean of their grade norm. Results: Nearly 70 % of those examined had a persisting diagnosis of dyslexia over a period of 63 months. The 5-year course was not influenced by sex. Despite average intelligence, the performance in writing and spelling of children suffering from dyslexia was one standard deviation below a control group without dyslexia with average intelligence and 0.5 standard deviations below a group of children suffering from intellectual deficits. Furthermore, the school-related success of the dyslexics was significantly lower than those of children with average intelligence. Dyslexics showed similar school-related success rates to children suffering from intellectual deficits. Conclusions: Dyslexia represents a considerable developmental risk. The adverse impact of dyslexia on school-related success supports the importance of early diagnostics and intervention. It also underlines the need for reliable and general accepted diagnostic criteria. It is important to define such criteria in light of the prevalence rates. KW - dyslexia KW - discrepancy criterion KW - persistence KW - course KW - school-related success KW - Lese-Rechtschreibstörung KW - Diskreptanzdefinition KW - Stabilität KW - Verlauf KW - Schulerfolg Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1024/1422-4917/a000535 SN - 1422-4917 SN - 1664-2880 VL - 46 IS - 2 SP - 107 EP - 122 PB - Hogrefe CY - Bern ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Bondü, Rebecca A1 - Sahyazici-Knaak, Fidan A1 - Esser, Günter T1 - Long-Term Associations of Justice Sensitivity, Rejection Sensitivity, and Depressive Symptoms in Children and Adolescents JF - Frontiers in psychology N2 - Depressive symptoms have been related to anxious rejection sensitivity, but little is known about relations with angry rejection sensitivity and justice sensitivity. We measured rejection sensitivity, justice sensitivity, and depressive symptoms in 1,665 9-to-21-year olds at two points of measurement. Participants with high T1 levels of depressive symptoms reported higher anxious and angry rejection sensitivity and higher justice sensitivity than controls at T1 and T2. T1 rejection, but not justice sensitivity predicted T2 depressive symptoms; high victim justice sensitivity, however, added to the stabilization of depressive symptoms. T1 depressive symptoms positively predicted T2 anxious and angry rejection and victim justice sensitivity. Hence, sensitivity toward negative social cues may be cause and consequence of depressive symptoms and requires consideration in cognitive-behavioral treatment of depression. KW - justice sensitivity KW - rejection sensitivity KW - depressive symptoms KW - childhood KW - adolescence Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01446 SN - 1664-1078 VL - 8 PB - Frontiers Research Foundation CY - Lausanne ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Tetzner, Julia A1 - Kliegl, Reinhold A1 - Krahé, Barbara A1 - Busching, Robert A1 - Esser, Günter T1 - Developmental problems in adolescence BT - a person-centered analysis across time and domains JF - Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology N2 - This longitudinal study investigated patterns of developmental problems across depression, aggression, and academic achievement during adolescence, using two measurement points two years apart (N = 1665; age T1: M = 13.14; female = 49.6%). Latent Profile Analyses and Latent Transition Analyses yielded four main findings: A three-type solution provided the best fit to the data: an asymptomatic type (i.e., low problem scores in all three domains), a depressed type (i.e., high scores in depression), an aggressive type (i.e., high scores in aggression). Profile types were invariant over the two data waves but differed between girls and boys, revealing gender specific patterns of comorbidity. Stabilities over time were high for the asymptomatic type and for types that represented problems in one domain, but moderate for comorbid types. Differences in demographic variables (i.e., age, socio-economic status) and individual characteristics (i.e., self-esteem, dysfunctional cognitions, cognitive capabilities) predicted profile type memberships and longitudinal transitions between types. KW - Adolescence KW - Person-centered approach KW - Depression KW - Aggression KW - Academic achievement Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appdev.2017.08.003 SN - 0193-3973 SN - 1873-7900 VL - 53 SP - 40 EP - 53 PB - Elsevier CY - New York ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Holz, Nathalie E. A1 - Boecker-Schlier, Regina A1 - Jennen-Steinmetz, Christine A1 - Buchmann, Arlette F. A1 - Blomeyer, Dorothea A1 - Baumeister, Sarah A1 - Plichta, Michael M. A1 - Esser, Günter A1 - Schmidt, Martin A1 - Meyer-Lindenberg, Andreas A1 - Banaschewski, Tobias A1 - Brandeis, Daniel A1 - Laucht, Manfred T1 - Positive coping styles and perigenual ACC volume: two related mechanisms for conferring resilience? JF - Frontiers in human neuroscience N2 - Stress exposure has been linked to increased rates of depression and anxiety in adults, particularly in females, and has been associated with maladaptive changes in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), which is an important brain structure involved in internalizing disorders. Coping styles are important mediators of the stress reaction by establishing homeostasis, and may thus confer resilience to stress-related psychopathology. Anatomical scans were acquired in 181 healthy participants at age 25 years. Positive coping styles were determined using a self-report questionnaire (German Stress Coping Questionnaire, SVF78) at age 22 years. Adult anxiety and depression symptoms were assessed at ages 22, 23 and 25 years with the Young Adult Self-Report. Information on previous internalizing diagnoses was obtained by diagnostic interview (2-19 years). Positive coping styles were associated with increased ACC volume. ACC volume and positive coping styles predicted anxiety and depression in a sex-dependent manner with increased positive coping and ACC volume being related to lower levels of psychopathology in females, but not in males. These results remained significant when controlled for previous internalizing diagnoses. These findings indicate that positive coping styles and ACC volume are two linked mechanisms, which may serve as protective factors against internalizing disorders. KW - coping styles KW - perigenual anterior cingulate cortex KW - resilience KW - anxiety disorders KW - mood disorders Y1 - 2016 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1093/scan/nsw005 SN - 1749-5016 SN - 1749-5024 VL - 11 SP - 813 EP - 820 PB - Oxford Univ. Press CY - Oxford ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Zohsel, Katrin A1 - Baldus, Christiane A1 - Schmidt, Martin H. A1 - Esser, Günter A1 - Banaschewski, Tobias A1 - Thomasius, Rainer A1 - Laucht, Manfred T1 - Predicting later problematic cannabis use from psychopathological symptoms during childhood and adolescence: Results of a 25-year longitudinal study JF - Drug and alcohol dependence : an international journal on biomedical and psychosocial approaches N2 - Background: Cannabis is the most commonly used illegal substance among adolescents and young adults. Problematic cannabis use is often associated with comorbid psychopathological problems. The purpose of the current study was to elucidate the underlying developmental processes connecting externalizing and internalizing psychopathology in childhood and adolescence with problematic cannabis use in young adulthood. Methods: Data were drawn from the Mannheim Study of Children at Risk, an ongoing epidemiological cohort study from birth to adulthood. For n = 307 participants, symptom scores of conduct/oppositional defiant disorder, attention problems, hyperactivity/impulsivity, and internalizing disorders were available for the periods of childhood (4.5-11 years) and adolescence (15 years). At age 25 years, problematic cannabis use was assessed via clinical interview and a self-rating questionnaire. Results: At age 25 years, problematic cannabis use was identified in n = 28 participants (9.1%). Childhood conduct/oppositional behavior problems were predictive of problematic cannabis use during young adulthood when comorbid symptoms were controlled for. No such effect was found for childhood attention, hyperactivity/impulsivity or internalizing problems. With respect to psychopathological symptoms during adolescence, only attention problems were significantly related to later problematic cannabis use when controlling for comorbidity. Conclusions: The current study highlights the role of conduct/oppositional behavior problems during childhood and attention problems during adolescence in later problematic cannabis use. It sheds more light on the developmental sequence of childhood and adolescence psychopathology and young adult cannabis use, which is a prerequisite for effective prevention approaches. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved. KW - Problematic cannabis use KW - Externalizing behavior KW - Internalizing behavior KW - Childhood KW - Adolescence Y1 - 2016 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2016.04.012 SN - 0376-8716 SN - 1879-0046 VL - 163 SP - 251 EP - 255 PB - Elsevier CY - Clare ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Holz, Nathalie A1 - Boecker-Schlier, Regina A1 - Buchmann, Arlette F. A1 - Blomeyer, Dorothea A1 - Baumeister, Sarah A1 - Hohmann, Sarah A1 - Jennen-Steinmetz, Christine A1 - Wolf, Isabella A1 - Rietschel, Marcella A1 - Witt, Stephanie H. A1 - Plichta, Michael M. A1 - Meyer-Lindenberg, Andreas A1 - Schmidt, Martin H. A1 - Esser, Günter A1 - Banaschewski, Tobias A1 - Brandeis, Daniel A1 - Laucht, Manfred T1 - Evidence for a Sex-Dependent MAOAx Childhood Stress Interaction in the Neural Circuitry of Aggression JF - Cerebral cortex N2 - 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. KW - aggression KW - amygdala KW - fMRI KW - life stress KW - MAOA Y1 - 2016 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1093/cercor/bhu249 SN - 1047-3211 SN - 1460-2199 VL - 26 SP - 904 EP - 914 PB - Oxford Univ. Press CY - Cary ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Höse, Anna A1 - Wyschkon, Anne A1 - Moraske, Svenja A1 - Eggeling, Marie A1 - Quandte, Sabine A1 - Kohn, Juliane A1 - Poltz, Nadine A1 - von Aster, Michael G. A1 - Esser, Günter T1 - Prevention of dyslexia short-term and intermediate effects of promoting phonological awareness and letter-sound correspondence with at-risk preschool children JF - Zeitschrift für Kinder- und Jugendpsychiatrie und Psychotherapie N2 - Objective: This study assesses the short-term and intermediate effects of preschool training stimulating phonological awareness and letter-sound correspondence for children at risk of developing dyslexia. Moreover, we examined whether training reduced the frequency of subsequent dyslexic problems. Method: 25 children at risk of developing dyslexia were trained with Horen, Lauschen, Lernen 1 und 2 (Kuspert & Schneider, 2008; Plume & Schneider, 2004) by their kindergarten teachers and were compared with 60 untrained at-risk children. Results:The training revealed a significant short-term effect: The phonological awareness of trained at-risk children increased significantly over that of untrained at-risk children. However, there were no differences in phonological awareness, spelling, and reading ability between the first-graders in the training and control group. Furthermore, reading problems were reduced in the training group. Conclusions: In the future, phonological awareness as well as additional predictors should be included when identifying children vulnerable to developing dyslexia. Moreover, in order to prevent dyslexia, additional prerequisite deficits need to be identified, alleviated, and their effects evaluated. KW - developmental dyslexia KW - phonological awareness KW - prevention KW - risk KW - specific developmental disorder Y1 - 2016 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1024/1422-4917/a000456 SN - 1422-4917 SN - 1664-2880 VL - 44 SP - 377 EP - 391 PB - Hogrefe CY - Bern ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Rauscher, Larissa A1 - Kohn, Juliane A1 - Käser, Tanja A1 - Mayer, Verena A1 - Kucian, Karin A1 - McCaskey, Ursina A1 - Esser, Günter A1 - von Aster, Michael G. T1 - Evaluation of a Computer-Based Training Program for Enhancing Arithmetic Skills and Spatial Number Representation in Primary School Children JF - Frontiers in psychology N2 - Calcularis is a computer-based training program which focuses on basic numerical skills, spatial representation of numbers and arithmetic operations. The program includes a user model allowing flexible adaptation to the child's individual knowledge and learning profile. The study design to evaluate the training comprises three conditions (Calcularis group, waiting control group, spelling training group). One hundred and thirty-eight children from second to fifth grade participated in the study. Training duration comprised a minimum of 24 training sessions of 20 min within a time period of 6–8 weeks. Compared to the group without training (waiting control group) and the group with an alternative training (spelling training group), the children of the Calcularis group demonstrated a higher benefit in subtraction and number line estimation with medium to large effect sizes. Therefore, Calcularis can be used effectively to support children in arithmetic performance and spatial number representation. KW - numerical development KW - evaluative study KW - primary school KW - computer-based training KW - mathematics instruction Y1 - 2016 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00913 SN - 1664-1078 VL - 7 SP - 14086 EP - 14099 PB - Frontiers Research Foundation CY - Lausanne ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Hohmann, Sarah A1 - Zohsel, Katrin A1 - Buchmann, Arlette F. A1 - Blomeyer, Dorothea A1 - Holz, Nathalie A1 - Boecker-Schlier, Regina A1 - Jennen-Steinmetz, Christine A1 - Rietschel, Marcella A1 - Witt, Stephanie H. A1 - Schmidt, Martin H. A1 - Esser, Günter A1 - Meyer-Lindenberg, Andreas A1 - Banaschewski, Tobias A1 - Brandeis, Daniel A1 - Hohm, Erika A1 - Laucht, Manfred T1 - Interacting effect of MAOA genotype and maternal prenatal smoking on aggressive behavior in young adulthood JF - Journal of neural transmission N2 - 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′ 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. KW - MAOA KW - Smoking during pregnancy KW - Interaction KW - Aggression KW - Longitudinal KW - Young adulthood Y1 - 2016 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/s00702-016-1582-x SN - 0300-9564 SN - 1435-1463 VL - 123 SP - 885 EP - 894 PB - Springer CY - Wien ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Jung, Janis Moritz A1 - Krahé, Barbara A1 - Bondü, Rebecca A1 - Esser, Günter A1 - Wyschkon, Anne T1 - Dynamic progression of antisocial behavior in childhood and adolescence BT - a three-wave longitudinal study from Germany JF - Applied Developmental Science N2 - This longitudinal study from Germany examined the dynamic progression of antisocial behavior in childhood and adolescence based on the social interactional model by Patterson, DeBaryshe, and Ramsey. It examined the link between antisocial behavior, social rejection, academic failure, and affiliation with deviant peers in a sample of 1,657 children and youths aged between 6 and 15 years who were studied at three measurement waves (T1 to T3) over a time period of about 5 years. Teachers rated the children on all variables, parents additionally provided ratings of antisocial behavior and social rejection. Latent structural equation modeling yielded the predicted positive paths from antisocial behavior at T1 to social rejection and academic failure at T2. As predicted, affiliation with deviant peers at T2 was positively associated with social rejection and academic failure at the same measurement point. Finally, affiliation with deviant peers at T2 significantly predicted antisocial behavior at T3. Y1 - 2016 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1080/10888691.2016.1219228 SN - 1088-8691 SN - 1532-480X VL - 22 IS - 1 SP - 74 EP - 88 PB - Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group CY - Abingdon ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Klein, Angela Ines A1 - Kruegel, Andre A1 - Risse, Sarah A1 - Esser, Günter A1 - Engbert, Ralf A1 - Pereira, Vera Wannmacher T1 - The processing of pronominal anaphora by children that have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or dyslexia: a study through the analysis of eye movements JF - Letras de hoje N2 - The aim of this work was to verify the processing of pronominal anaphora by children that have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or dyslexia. The sample studied consisted of 75 children that speak German, which read two texts of 80 words containing pronominal anaphora. The eye movements of all participants were recorded and, to make sure they were reading with attention, two activities that tested reading comprehension were proposed. Through the analysis of eye movements, specifically the fixations, the data indicate that children with disorders have difficulty to process the pronominal anaphora, especially dyslexic children. KW - ADHD KW - Dyslexia KW - Reading comprehension KW - Eye movements KW - Pronominal anaphora Y1 - 2015 SN - 0101-3335 SN - 1984-7726 VL - 50 IS - 1 SP - 40 EP - 48 PB - PUCRS CY - Porto Alegre ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Arndt, Larissa R. A1 - Esser, Günter A1 - Weirich, Sebastian A1 - Oelsner, Henriette A1 - Ebersbach, Georg A1 - Bengner, Thomas T1 - Face Memory in Idiopathic Parkinson's Disease Moderated by Sex and Encoding Duration JF - Zeitschrift für Neuropsychologie N2 - We examined face memory deficits in patients with Idiopathic Parkinson's disease (IPD) with specific regard to the moderating role of sex and the different memory processes involved. We tested short- and long-term face recognition memory in 18 nonclinical participants and 18 IPD-patients matched for sex, education and age. We varied the duration of item presentation (1, 5, 10s), the time of testing (immediately, 1hr, 24hrs) and the possibility to re-encode items. In accordance with earlier studies, we report face memory deficits in IPD. Moreover, our findings indicate that sex and encoding conditions may be important moderator variables. In contrast to healthy individuals, IPD-patients cannot gain from increasing duration of presentation. Furthermore, our results suggest that I PD leads to face memory deficits in women, only. KW - neuropsychology KW - declarative memory KW - Morbus Parkinson KW - gender KW - episodic memory Y1 - 2015 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1024/1016-264X/a000148 SN - 1016-264X SN - 1664-2902 VL - 26 IS - 2 SP - 109 EP - 120 PB - Hogrefe CY - Bern ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Heinrich, Angela A1 - Buchmann, Arlette F. A1 - Zohsel, Katrin A1 - Dukal, Helene A1 - Frank, Josef A1 - Treutlein, Jens A1 - Nieratschker, Vanessa A1 - Witt, Stephanie H. A1 - Brandeis, Daniel A1 - Schmidt, Martin H. A1 - Esser, Günter A1 - Banaschewski, Tobias A1 - Laucht, Manfred A1 - Rietschel, Marcella T1 - Alterations of Glucocorticoid Receptor Gene Methylation in Externalizing Disorders During Childhood and Adolescence JF - Behavior genetics : an international journal devoted to research in the inheritance of behavior in animals and man N2 - Epigenetic modulations are a hypothesized link between environmental factors and the development of psychiatric disorders. Research has suggested that patients with depression or bipolar disorder exhibit higher methylation levels in the glucocorticoid receptor gene NR3C1. We aimed to investigate whether NR3C1 methylation changes are similarly associated with externalizing disorders such as aggressive behavior and conduct disorder. NR3C1 exon 1F methylation was analyzed in young adults with a lifetime diagnosis of an externalizing disorder (N = 68) or a depressive disorder (N = 27) and healthy controls (N = 124) from the Mannheim Study of Children at Risk. The externalizing disorders group had significantly lower NR3C1 methylation levels than the lifetime depressive disorder group (p = 0.009) and healthy controls (p = 0.001) This report of lower methylation levels in NR3C1 in externalizing disorders may indicate a mechanism through which the differential development of externalizing disorders as opposed to depressive disorders might occur. KW - Epigenetic KW - Glucocorticoid receptor KW - Methylation KW - Externalizing disorders KW - Adolescents Y1 - 2015 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/s10519-015-9721-y SN - 0001-8244 SN - 1573-3297 VL - 45 IS - 5 SP - 529 EP - 536 PB - Springer CY - New York ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Poustka, Luise A1 - Zohsel, Katrin A1 - Blomeyer, Dorothea A1 - Jennen-Steinmetz, Christine A1 - Schmid, Brigitte A1 - Trautmann-Villalba, Patricia A1 - Hohmann, Sarah A1 - Becker, Katja A1 - Esser, Günter A1 - Schmidt, Martin H. A1 - Brandeis, Daniel A1 - Banaschewski, Tobias A1 - Laucht, Manfred T1 - Interacting effects of maternal responsiveness, infant regulatory problems and dopamine D4 receptor gene in the development of dysregulation during childhood: A longitudinal analysis JF - Journal of psychiatric research N2 - Recent longitudinal studies have indicated that affective and behavioral dysregulation in childhood is associated with an increased risk for various negative outcomes in later life. However, few studies to date have examined early mechanisms preceding dysregulation during early childhood. Aim of this study was to elucidate early mechanisms relating to dysregulation in later life using data from an epidemiological cohort study on the long-term outcome of early risk factors from birth to adulthood. At age 3 months, mothers and infants were videotaped during a nursing and playing situation. Maternal responsiveness was evaluated by trained raters. Infant regulatory problems were assessed on the basis of a parent interview and direct observation by trained raters. At age 8 and 11 years, 290 children (139 males) were rated on the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). Additionally, participants were genotyped for the dopamine D4 receptor (DRD4) exon 3 VNTR polymorphism. A significant three-way interaction between maternal responsiveness, DRD4 genotype and infant regulatory problems was detected predicting the CBCL-dysregulation profile (CBCL-DP). Carriers of the DRD4 7r allele with regulatory problems at age 3 months showed significantly more behavior problems associated with the CBCL-DP during childhood when exposed to less maternal responsiveness. In contrast, no effect of maternal responsiveness was observed in DRD4 7r carriers without infant regulatory problems and in non-carriers of the DRD4 7r allele. This prospective longitudinal study extends earlier findings regarding the association of the CBCL-DP with early parenting and later psychopathology, introducing both DRD4 genotype and infant regulatory problems as important moderators. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. KW - Dysregulation KW - Childhood KW - Infant regulatory problems KW - Parenting quality KW - DRD4 KW - Gene-environment interaction Y1 - 2015 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychires.2015.08.018 SN - 0022-3956 SN - 1879-1379 VL - 70 SP - 83 EP - 90 PB - Elsevier CY - Oxford ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Graefen, Johanna A1 - Kohn, Juliane A1 - Wyschkon, Anne A1 - Esser, Günter T1 - Internalizing problems in children and adolescents with math disability JF - Zeitschrift für Psychologie = Journal of psychology N2 - Research has shown that learning disabilities are associated with internalizing problems in (pre) adolescents. In order to examine this relationship for math disability (MD), math achievement and internalizing problem scores were measured in a representative group of 1,436 (pre) adolescents. MD was defined by a discrepancy between math achievement and IQ. Internalizing problems were measured through a multi-informant (parents, teachers, self-report) approach. The results revealed that MD puts (pre) adolescents at a higher risk for internalizing problems. External and self-ratings differed between boys and girls, indicating that either they show distinct internalizing symptoms or they are being perceived differently by parents and teachers. Results emphasize the importance of both a multi-informant approach and the consideration of gender differences when measuring internalizing symptomatology of children with MD. For an optimal treatment of MD, depressive and anxious symptoms need to be considered. KW - math disability KW - internalizing problems KW - comorbidities KW - adolescence Y1 - 2015 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1027/2151-2604/a000207 SN - 2190-8370 SN - 2151-2604 VL - 223 IS - 2 SP - 93 EP - 101 PB - Hogrefe CY - Göttingen ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Hohmann, Sarah A1 - Hohm, Erika A1 - Treutlein, Jens A1 - Blomeyer, Dorothea A1 - Jennen-Steinmetz, Christine A1 - Schmidt, Martin H. A1 - Esser, Günter A1 - Banaschewski, Tobias A1 - Brandeis, Daniel A1 - Laucht, Manfred T1 - Association of norepinephrine transporter (NET, SLC6A2) genotype with ADHD-related phenotypes: Findings of a longitudinal study from birth to adolescence JF - Psychiatry research : the official publication of the International Society for Neuroimaging in Psychiatry N2 - Variation in the gene encoding for the norepinephrine transporter (NET, SLC6A2) has repeatedly been linked with ADHD, although there is some inconsistency regarding the association with specific genes. The variants for which most consistent association has been found are the NET variants rs3785157 and rs28386840. Here, we tested for their association with ADHD diagnosis and ADHD-related phenotypes during development in a longitudinal German community sample. Children were followed from age 4 to age 15, using diagnostic interviews to assess ADHD. Between the ages of 8 and 15 years, the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) was administered to the primary caregivers. The continuous performance task (CPT) was performed at age 15. Controlling for possible confounders, we found that homozygous carriers of the major A allele of the functional promoter variant rs28386840 displayed a higher rate of ADHD lifetime diagnosis. Moreover, homozygous carriers of the minor T allele of rs3785157 were more likely to develop ADHD and showed higher scores on the CBCL externalizing behavior scales. Additionally, we found that individuals heterozygous for rs3785157 made fewer omission errors in the CPT than homozygotes. This is the first longitudinal study to report associations between specific NET variants and ADHD-related phenotypes during the course of development. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved. KW - Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder KW - Norepinephrine transporter KW - Genetic association KW - Polymorphism KW - Molecular heterosis KW - Continuous performance task Y1 - 2015 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2014.12.029 SN - 0165-1781 VL - 226 IS - 2-3 SP - 425 EP - 433 PB - Elsevier CY - Clare ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Buchmann, Arlette F. A1 - Hohm, Erika A1 - Witt, Stephanie H. A1 - Blomeyer, Dorothea A1 - Jennen-Steinmetz, Christine A1 - Schmidt, Martin H. A1 - Esser, Günter A1 - Banaschewski, Tobias A1 - Brandeis, Daniel A1 - Laucht, Manfred T1 - Role of CNR1 polymorphisms in moderating the effects of psychosocial adversity on impulsivity in adolescents JF - Journal of neural transmission N2 - Enhanced endocannabinoid signaling has been implicated in typically adolescent behavioral features such as increased risk-taking, impulsivity and novelty seeking. Research investigating the impact of genetic variants in the cannabinoid receptor 1 gene (CNR1) and of early rearing conditions has demonstrated that both factors contribute to the prediction of impulsivity-related phenotypes. The present study aimed to test the hypothesis of an interaction of the two most studied CNR1 polymorphisms rs806379 and rs1049353 with early psychosocial adversity in terms of affecting impulsivity in 15-year-olds from an epidemiological cohort sample followed since birth. In 323 adolescents (170 girls, 153 boys), problems of impulse control and novelty seeking were assessed using parent-report and self-report, respectively. Exposure to early psychosocial adversity was determined in a parent interview conducted at the age of 3 months. The results indicated that impulsivity increased following exposure to early psychosocial adversity, with this increase being dependent on CNR1 genotype. In contrast, while individuals exposed to early adversity scored higher on novelty seeking, no significant impact of genotype or the interaction thereof was detected. This is the first evidence to suggest that the interaction of CNR1 gene variants with the experience of early life adversity may play a role in determining adolescent impulsive behavior. However, given that the reported findings are obtained in a high-risk community sample, results are restricted in terms of interpretation and generalization. Future research is needed to replicate these findings and to identify the mediating mechanisms underlying this effect. KW - CNR1 KW - Impulsivity KW - Early psychosocial adversity KW - Adolescence Y1 - 2015 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/s00702-014-1266-3 SN - 0300-9564 SN - 1435-1463 VL - 122 IS - 3 SP - 455 EP - 463 PB - Springer CY - Wien ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kuhlmann, Sophie Merle A1 - Bürger, Arne A1 - Esser, Günter A1 - Hammerle, Florian T1 - A mindfulness-based stress prevention training for medical students (MediMind): study protocol for a randomized controlled trial JF - Trials N2 - Background: Medical training is very demanding and associated with a high prevalence of psychological distress. Compared to the general population, medical students are at a greater risk of developing a psychological disorder. Various attempts of stress management training in medical school have achieved positive results on minimizing psychological distress; however, there are often limitations. Therefore, the use of a rigorous scientific method is needed. The present study protocol describes a randomized controlled trial to examine the effectiveness of a specifically developed mindfulness-based stress prevention training for medical students that includes selected elements of cognitive behavioral strategies (MediMind). Methods/Design: This study protocol presents a prospective randomized controlled trial, involving four assessment time points: baseline, post-intervention, one-year follow-up and five-year follow-up. The aims include evaluating the effect on stress, coping, psychological morbidity and personality traits with validated measures. Participants are allocated randomly to one of three conditions: MediMind, Autogenic Training or control group. Eligible participants are medical or dental students in the second or eighth semester of a German university. They form a population of approximately 420 students in each academic term. A final total sample size of 126 (at five-year follow-up) is targeted. The trainings (MediMind and Autogenic Training) comprise five weekly sessions lasting 90 minutes each. MediMind will be offered to participants of the control group once the five-year follow-up is completed. The allotment is randomized with a stratified allocation ratio by course of studies, semester, and gender. After descriptive statistics have been evaluated, inferential statistical analysis will be carried out with a repeated measures ANOVA-design with interactions between time and group. Effect sizes will be calculated using partial.-square values. Discussion: Potential limitations of this study are voluntary participation and the risk of attrition, especially concerning participants that are allocated to the control group. Strengths are the study design, namely random allocation, follow-up assessment, the use of control groups and inclusion of participants at different stages of medical training with the possibility of differential analysis. Y1 - 2015 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1186/s13063-014-0533-9 SN - 1745-6215 VL - 16 PB - BioMed Central CY - London ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Holz, Nathalie E. A1 - Boecker-Schlier, Regina A1 - Hohm, Erika A1 - Zohsel, Katrin A1 - Buchmann, Arlette F. A1 - Blomeyer, Dorothea A1 - Jennen-Steinmetz, Christine A1 - Baumeister, Sarah A1 - Hohmann, Sarah A1 - Wolf, Isabella A1 - Plichta, Michael M. A1 - Esser, Günter A1 - Schmidt, Martin A1 - Meyer-Lindenberg, Andreas A1 - Banaschewski, Tobias A1 - Brandeis, Daniel A1 - Laucht, Manfred T1 - The Long-Term Impact of Early Life Poverty on Orbitofrontal Cortex Volume in Adulthood: Results from a Prospective Study Over 25 Years JF - Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology N2 - Converging evidence has highlighted the association between poverty and conduct disorder (CD) without specifying neurobiological pathways. Neuroimaging research has emphasized structural and functional alterations in the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) as one key mechanism underlying this disorder. The present study aimed to clarify the long-term influence of early poverty on OFC volume and its association with CD symptoms in healthy participants of an epidemiological cohort study followed since birth. At age 25 years, voxel-based morphometry was applied to study brain volume differences. Poverty (0 = non-exposed (N = 134), I = exposed (N = 33)) and smoking during pregnancy were determined using a standardized parent interview, and information on maternal responsiveness was derived from videotaped mother infant interactions at the age of 3 months. CD symptoms were assessed by diagnostic interview from 8 to 19 years of age. Information on life stress was acquired at each assessment and childhood maltreatment was measured using retrospective self-report at the age of 23 years. Analyses were adjusted for sex, parental psychopathology and delinquency, obstetric adversity, parental education, and current poverty. Individuals exposed to early life poverty exhibited a lower OFC volume. Moreover, we replicated previous findings of increased CD symptoms as a consequence of childhood poverty. This effect proved statistically mediated by OFC volume and exposure to life stress and smoking during pregnancy, but not by childhood maltreatment and maternal responsiveness. These findings underline the importance of studying the impact of early life adversity on brain alterations and highlight the need for programs to decrease income-related disparities. Y1 - 2015 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1038/npp.2014.277 SN - 0893-133X SN - 1740-634X VL - 40 IS - 4 SP - 996 EP - 1004 PB - Nature Publ. Group CY - London ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Bondü, Rebecca A1 - Esser, Günter T1 - Justice and rejection sensitivity in children and adolescents with ADHD symptoms JF - European child and adolescent psychiatry : offical journal of the European Society for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry N2 - Justice sensitivity captures individual differences in the frequency with which injustice is perceived and the intensity of emotional, cognitive, and behavioral reactions to it. Persons with ADHD have been reported to show high justice sensitivity, and a recent study provided evidence for this notion in an adult sample. In 1,235 German 10- to 19-year olds, we measured ADHD symptoms, justice sensitivity from the victim, observer, and perpetrator perspective, the frequency of perceptions of injustice, anxious and angry rejection sensitivity, depressive symptoms, conduct problems, and self-esteem. Participants with ADHD symptoms reported significantly higher victim justice sensitivity, more perceptions of injustice, and higher anxious and angry rejection sensitivity, but significantly lower perpetrator justice sensitivity than controls. In latent path analyses, justice sensitivity as well as rejection sensitivity partially mediated the link between ADHD symptoms and comorbid problems when considered simultaneously. Thus, both justice sensitivity and rejection sensitivity may contribute to explaining the emergence and maintenance of problems typically associated with ADHD symptoms, and should therefore be considered in ADHD therapy. KW - ADHD KW - Justice sensitivity KW - Rejection sensitivity KW - Conduct problems KW - Depressive symptoms Y1 - 2015 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-014-0560-9 SN - 1018-8827 SN - 1435-165X VL - 24 IS - 2 SP - 185 EP - 198 PB - Springer CY - New York ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Krahé, Barbara A1 - Bondü, Rebecca A1 - Höse, Anna A1 - Esser, Günter T1 - Child Aggression as a Source and a Consequence of Parenting Stress: A Three-Wave Longitudinal Study JF - Journal of research on adolescence : the official journal of the Society for Research on Adolescence N2 - This longitudinal study examined the links between child aggression and parenting stress over 4years. Child aggression was hypothesized to contribute to parenting stress, which should increase aggression. Parents and teachers of 239 German children aged between 6 and 15years completed measures of child aggression at Time 1 and Time 3, complemented by children's self-reports of aggression at Time 3. Parents rated their child-focused and parent-focused stress at an intermediate measurement Time 2. Child-focused stress mediated the path from Time 1 to Time 3 aggression in boys and girls, whereas parent-focused stress was unrelated to Time 3 aggression. The findings help to understand the continuity of aggressive behavior in childhood and adolescence and highlight the need to intervene early with families susceptible to parenting stress. Y1 - 2015 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1111/jora.12115 SN - 1050-8392 SN - 1532-7795 VL - 25 IS - 2 SP - 328 EP - 339 PB - Wiley-Blackwell CY - Hoboken ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Nikitopoulos, Joerg A1 - Zohsel, Katrin A1 - Blomeyer, Dorothea A1 - Buchmann, Arlette F. A1 - Schmid, Brigitte A1 - Jennen-Steinmetz, Christine A1 - Becker, Katja A1 - Schmidt, Martin H. A1 - Esser, Günter A1 - Brandeis, Daniel A1 - Banaschewski, Tobias A1 - Laucht, Manfred T1 - Are infants differentially sensitive to parenting? Early maternal care, DRD4 genotype and externalizing behavior during adolescence JF - Journal of psychiatric research KW - DRD4 KW - Early maternal care KW - Externalizing behavior KW - Adolescence KW - Gene-environment interaction Y1 - 2014 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychires.2014.08.012 SN - 0022-3956 SN - 1879-1379 VL - 59 SP - 53 EP - 59 PB - Elsevier CY - Oxford ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Buchmann, Arlette F. A1 - Holz, Nathalie A1 - Boecker-Schlier, Regina A1 - Blomeyer, Dorothea A1 - Rietschel, Marcella A1 - Witt, Stephanie H. A1 - Schmidt, Martin H. A1 - Esser, Günter A1 - Banaschewski, Tobias A1 - Brandeis, Daniel A1 - Zimmermann, Ulrich S. A1 - Laucht, Manfred T1 - Moderating role of FKBP5 genotype in the impact of childhood adversity on cortisol stress response during adulthood JF - European neuropsychopharmacology : the journal of the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology N2 - Recent research suggests an important role of FKBP5, a glucocorticoid receptor regulating co-chaperone, in the development of stress-related diseases such as depression and anxiety disorders. The present study aimed to replicate and extend previous evidence indicating that FKBP5 polymorphisms moderate hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) function by examining whether FKBP5 rs1360780 genotype and different measures of childhood adversity interact to predict stress-induced cortisol secretion. At age 19 years, 195 young adults (90 males, 105 females) participating in an epidemiological cohort study completed the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) to assess cortisol stress responsiveness and were genotyped for the FKBP5 rs1360780. Childhood adversity was assessed using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) and by a standardized parent interview yielding an index of family adversity. A significant interaction between genotype and childhood adversity on cortisol response to stress was demonstrated for exposure to childhood maltreatment as assessed by retrospective self-report (CTQ), but not for prospectively ascertained objective family adversity. Severity of childhood maltreatment was significantly associated with attenuated cortisol levels among carriers of the rs1360780 CC genotype, while no such effect emerged in carriers of the T allele. These findings point towards the functional involvement of FKBP5 in long-term alterations of neuroendocrine stress regulation related to childhood maltreatment, which have been suggested to represent a premorbid risk or resilience factor in the context of stress-related disorders. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. and ECNR This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license. KW - FKBP5 KW - Stress KW - HPA KW - Cortisol KW - Childhood adversity Y1 - 2014 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.euroneuro.2013.12.001 SN - 0924-977X SN - 1873-7862 VL - 24 IS - 6 SP - 837 EP - 845 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Buchmann, Arlette F. A1 - Zohsel, Katrin A1 - Blomeyer, Dorothea A1 - Hohm, Erika A1 - Hohmann, Sarah A1 - Jennen-Steinmetz, Christine A1 - Treutlein, Jens A1 - Becker, Katja A1 - Banaschewski, Tobias A1 - Schmidt, Martin H. A1 - Esser, Günter A1 - Brandeis, Daniel A1 - Poustka, Luise A1 - Zimmermann, Ulrich S. A1 - Laucht, Manfred T1 - Interaction between prenatal stress and dopamine D4 receptor genotype in predicting aggression and cortisol levels in young adults JF - Psychopharmacology N2 - Considerable evidence suggests that genetic factors combine with environmental influences to impact on the development of aggressive behavior. A genetic variant that has repeatedly been reported to render individuals more sensitive to the presence of adverse experiences, including stress exposure during fetal life, is the seven-repeat allele of the dopamine D4 receptor (DRD4) gene. The present investigation concentrated on the interplay of prenatal maternal stress and DRD4 genotype in predicting self-reported aggression in young adults. As disruption of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal system has been discussed as a pathophysiological pathway to aggression, cortisol stress reactivity was additionally examined. As part of an epidemiological cohort study, prenatal maternal stress was assessed by maternal interview 3 months after childbirth. Between the ages of 19 and 23 years, 298 offspring (140 males, 158 females) completed the Young Adult Self-Report to measure aggressive behavior and were genotyped for the DRD4 gene. At 19 years, 219 participants additionally underwent the Trier Social Stress Test to determine cortisol reactivity. Extending earlier findings with respect to childhood antisocial behavior, the results revealed that, under conditions of higher prenatal maternal stress, carriers of the DRD4 seven-repeat allele displayed more aggression in adulthood (p = 0.032). Moreover, the same conditions which seemed to promote aggression were found to predict attenuated cortisol secretion (p = 0.028). This is the first study to indicate a long-term impact of prenatal stress exposure on the cortisol stress response depending on DRD4 genotype. KW - Prenatal stress KW - Aggression KW - Cortisol KW - DRD4 KW - Gene-environment interaction Y1 - 2014 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-014-3484-7 SN - 0033-3158 SN - 1432-2072 VL - 231 IS - 16 SP - 3089 EP - 3097 PB - Springer CY - New York ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Zohsel, Katrin A1 - Buchmann, Arlette F. A1 - Blomeyer, Dorothea A1 - Hohm, Erika A1 - Schmidt, Martin H. A1 - Esser, Günter A1 - Brandeis, Daniel A1 - Banaschewski, Tobias A1 - Laucht, Manfred T1 - Mothers' prenatal stress and their children's antisocial outcomes - a moderating role for the dopamine receptor D4 (DRD4) gene JF - The journal of child psychology and psychiatry N2 - ResultsUnder conditions of elevated prenatal maternal stress, children carrying one or two DRD4 7r alleles were at increased risk of a diagnosis of CD/ODD. Moreover, homozygous carriers of the DRD4 7r allele displayed more externalizing behavior following exposure to higher levels of prenatal maternal stress, while homozygous carriers of the DRD4 4r allele turned out to be insensitive to the effects of prenatal stress. ConclusionsThis study is the first to report a gene-environment interaction related to DRD4 and prenatal maternal stress using data from a prospective study, which extends earlier findings on the impact of prenatal maternal stress with respect to childhood antisocial behavior. KW - Prenatal stress KW - antisocial KW - conduct disorder KW - DRD4 KW - gene-environment interaction Y1 - 2014 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.12138 SN - 0021-9630 SN - 1469-7610 VL - 55 IS - 1 SP - 69 EP - 76 PB - Wiley-Blackwell CY - Hoboken ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Buchmann, Arlette F. A1 - Blomeyer, Dorothea A1 - Jennen-Steinmetz, Christine A1 - Schmidt, Martin H. A1 - Esser, Günter A1 - Banaschewski, Tobias A1 - Laucht, Manfred T1 - Early smoking onset may promise initial pleasurable sensations and later addiction JF - Addiction biology N2 - There is converging evidence suggesting a particular susceptibility to the addictive properties of nicotine among adolescents. The aim of the current study was to prospectively ascertain the relationship between age at first cigarette and initial smoking experiences, and to examine the combined effects of these characteristics of adolescent smoking behavior on adult smoking. It was hypothesized that the association between earlier age at first cigarette and later development of nicotine dependence may, at least in part, be attributable to differences in experiencing pleasurable early smoking sensations. Data were drawn from the participants of the Mannheim Study of Children at Risk, an ongoing epidemiological cohort study from birth to adulthood. Structured interviews at age 15, 19 and 22 years were conducted to assess the age at first cigarette, early smoking experiences and current smoking behavior in 213 young adults. In addition, the participants completed the Fagerstrom Test for Nicotine Dependence. Adolescents who smoked their first cigarette at an earlier age reported more pleasurable sensations from the cigarette, and they were more likely to be regular smokers at age 22. The age at first cigarette also predicted the number of cigarettes smoked and dependence at age 22. Thus, both the age of first cigarette and the pleasure experienced from the cigarette independently predicted aspects of smoking at age 22. KW - Adolescence KW - age at first cigarette KW - dependence KW - early smoking experiences KW - longitudinal study KW - pleasurable smoking sensations Y1 - 2013 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1369-1600.2011.00377.x SN - 1369-1600 VL - 18 IS - 6 SP - 947 EP - 954 PB - Wiley-Blackwell CY - Hoboken ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Schmid, Brigitte A1 - Buchmann, Arlette F. A1 - Trautmann-Villalba, Patricia A1 - Blomeyer, Dorothea A1 - Zimmermann, Ulrich S. A1 - Schmidt, Martin H. A1 - Esser, Günter A1 - Banaschewski, Tobias A1 - Laucht, Manfred T1 - Maternal stimulation in infancy predicts hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis reactivity in young men JF - Journal of neural transmission N2 - Evidence from animal research has demonstrated the effect of early maternal care on the offspring's endocrine and behavioral stress response in adulthood. The present prospective study investigates, in humans, the long-term impact of maternal responsiveness and stimulation during early mother-child interaction on adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and cortisol response to a psychosocial laboratory stressor in adulthood. The data are from an epidemiological cohort study of the long-term outcome of early risk factors assessed at birth. At age 3 months, mothers and infants were videotaped during a 10-min standardized nursing and playing situation and evaluated by trained raters for maternal stimulation and infant and maternal responsiveness. At age 19 years, 270 participants (146 females, 124 males) completed the Trier Social Stress Test. The results indicated that less maternal stimulation during early interaction at age 3 months predicted diminished plasma ACTH and cortisol increase in response to acute psychosocial stress in male, but not female offspring. In contrast, maternal responsiveness was found to be unrelated to hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) reactivity. In accordance with the findings from animal research, the present study provides prospective evidence in humans of a long-term association between early maternal interaction behavior and the offspring's hormonal stress response in young adulthood, suggesting that poor maternal stimulation in early infancy may result in reduced HPA axis reactivity to an acute psychosocial stressor in males. KW - ACTH KW - Cortisol KW - HPA axis KW - Mother-infant interaction Y1 - 2013 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/s00702-013-0970-8 SN - 0300-9564 VL - 120 IS - 8 SP - 1247 EP - 1257 PB - Springer CY - Wien ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Buchmann, Arlette F. A1 - Hellweg, Rainer A1 - Rietschel, Marcella A1 - Treutlein, Jens A1 - Witt, Stephanie H. A1 - Zimmermann, Ulrich S. A1 - Schmidt, Martin H. A1 - Esser, Günter A1 - Banaschewski, Tobias A1 - Laucht, Manfred A1 - Deuschle, Michael T1 - BDNF Val 66 Met and 5-HTTLPR genotype moderate the impact of early psychosocial adversity on plasma brain-derived neurotrophic factor and depressive symptoms - a prospective study JF - European neuropsychopharmacology : the journal of the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology N2 - Recent studies have emphasized an important role for neurotrophins, such as brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), in regulating the plasticity of neural circuits involved in the pathophysiology of stress-related diseases. The aim of the present study was to examine the interplay of the BDNF Val(66)Met and the serotonin transporter promoter (5-HTTLPR) polymorphisms in moderating the impact of early-life adversity on BDNF plasma concentration and depressive symptoms. Participants were taken from an epidemiological cohort study following the long-term outcome of early risk factors from birth into young adulthood. In 259 individuals (119 males, 140 females), genotyped for the BDNF Val(66)Met and the 5-HTTLPR polymorphisms, plasma BDNF was assessed at the age of 19 years. In addition, participants completed the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). Early adversity was determined according to a family adversity index assessed at 3 months of age. Results indicated that individuals homozygous for both the BDNF Val and the 5-HTTLPR L allele showed significantly reduced BDNF levels following exposure to high adversity. In contrast, BDNF levels appeared to be unaffected by early psychosocial adversity in carriers of the BDNF Met or the 5-HTTLPR S allele. While the former group appeared to be most susceptible to depressive symptoms, the impact of early adversity was less pronounced in the latter group. This is the first preliminary evidence indicating that early-life adverse experiences may have lasting sequelae for plasma BDNF levels in humans, highlighting that the susceptibility to this effect is moderated by BDNF Val(66)Met and 5-HTTLPR genotype. KW - BDNF KW - 5-HTTLPR KW - Human KW - Early psychosocial adversity KW - Longitudinal study KW - Depression Y1 - 2013 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.euroneuro.2012.09.003 SN - 0924-977X VL - 23 IS - 8 SP - 902 EP - 909 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Laucht, Manfred A1 - Treutlein, Jens A1 - Blomeyer, Dorothea A1 - Buchmann, Arlette F. A1 - Schmidt, Martin H. A1 - Esser, Günter A1 - Jennen-Steinmetz, Christine A1 - Rietschel, Marcella A1 - Banaschewski, Tobias T1 - Interactive effects of corticotropin-releasing hormone receptor 1 gene and childhood adversity on depressive symptoms in young adults findings from a longitudinal study JF - European neuropsychopharmacology : the journal of the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology N2 - Accumulating research suggests a moderating role for the corticotropin-releasing hormone receptor 1 gene (CRHR1) in the association between childhood adversity and adult depression. The present study aims to replicate recent findings using different genetic variants and measures of early adversity assessed both prospectively and retrospectively. Data were collected in the context of an ongoing epidemiological cohort study following the outcome of early risk factors from birth into adulthood. 300 participants (137 males, 163 females) were genotyped for four CRHR1 SNPs (rs7209436, rs110402, rs242924, and rs17689882) and completed the Beck Depression Inventory at ages 19, 22 and 23 years. Childhood adversity was assessed using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire and by a standardized parent interview yielding an index of family adversity. Our results indicate that CRHR1 and childhood adversity interacted to predict depressive symptoms in young adults. Specifically, we found that the impact of childhood maltreatment on adult depressive symptoms was significantly higher in individuals (i) with two copies of the CRHR1 TAT haplotype, and (ii) homozygous for the G allele of rs17689882. The interaction was demonstrated for exposure to childhood maltreatment as assessed by retrospective self-report, but not to prospectively ascertain objective family adversity. The present study partially replicates recent findings of a CRHR1 by childhood adversity interaction with regard to adult depression highlighting the subjective characteristics of the environmental pathogen that is operative in this interaction. KW - Corticotropin-releasing hormone receptor 1 gene KW - Depression KW - Maltreatment KW - Family adversity KW - Young adults KW - Gene-environment interaction Y1 - 2013 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.euroneuro.2012.06.002 SN - 0924-977X VL - 23 IS - 5 SP - 358 EP - 367 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Blomeyer, Dorothea A1 - Buchmann, Arlette F. A1 - Lascorz, Jesus A1 - Zimmermann, Ulrich S. A1 - Esser, Günter A1 - Desrivieres, Sylvane A1 - Schmidt, Martin H. A1 - Banaschewski, Tobias A1 - Schumann, Gunter A1 - Laucht, Manfred T1 - Association of PER2 genotype and stressful life events with alcohol drinking in young adults JF - PLoS one N2 - Background: Clock genes govern circadian rhythms and shape the effect of alcohol use on the physiological system. Exposure to severe negative life events is related to both heavy drinking and disturbed circadian rhythmicity. The aim of this study was 1) to extend previous findings suggesting an association of a haplotype tagging single nucleotide polymorphism of PER2 gene with drinking patterns, and 2) to examine a possible role for an interaction of this gene with life stress in hazardous drinking. Methods: Data were collected as part of an epidemiological cohort study on the outcome of early risk factors followed since birth. At age 19 years, 268 young adults (126 males, 142 females) were genotyped for PER2 rs56013859 and were administered a 45-day alcohol timeline follow-back interview and the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT). Life stress was assessed as the number of severe negative life events during the past four years reported in a questionnaire and validated by interview. Results: Individuals with the minor G allele of rs56013859 were found to be less engaged in alcohol use, drinking at only 72% of the days compared to homozygotes for the major A allele. Moreover, among regular drinkers, a gene x environment interaction emerged (p = .020). While no effects of genotype appeared under conditions of low stress, carriers of the G allele exhibited less hazardous drinking than those homozygous for the A allele when exposed to high stress. Conclusions: These findings may suggest a role of the circadian rhythm gene PER2 in both the drinking patterns of young adults and in moderating the impact of severe life stress on hazardous drinking in experienced alcohol users. However, in light of the likely burden of multiple tests, the nature of the measures used and the nominal evidence of interaction, replication is needed before drawing firm conclusions. Y1 - 2013 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0059136 SN - 1932-6203 VL - 8 IS - 3 PB - PLoS CY - San Fransisco ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Daig, Isolde A1 - Mahlberg, Richard A1 - Stethin, Julia A1 - Shroeder, Franziska A1 - Wrase, Jana A1 - Knoll, Nina A1 - Bschor, Tom A1 - Esser, Günter A1 - Heinz, Andreas A1 - Kienast, Thorsten T1 - Decreased verbal learning but not recognition performance in alcohol-dependent individuals during early abstinence Y1 - 2012 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kucian, Karin A1 - Kohn, Juliane A1 - Hannula-Sormunen, Minna M. A1 - Richtmann, Verena A1 - Grond, Ursin A1 - Käser, Tanja A1 - Esser, Günter A1 - von Aster, Michael G. T1 - Kinder mit Dyskalkulie fokussieren spontan weniger auf Anzahligkeit Y1 - 2012 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Laucht, Manfred A1 - Treutlein, Jens A1 - Blomeyer, Dorothea A1 - Buchmann, Arlette F. A1 - Schmidt, Martin A1 - Esser, Günter A1 - Jennen-Steinmetz, Christine A1 - Reitschelb, Marcel A1 - Banaschewski, Tobias T1 - Interactive effects of corticotropin-releasing hormone receptor 1 gene and childhood adversity on depressive symptoms in young adults: Findings from a longitudinal study Y1 - 2012 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Laucht, Manfred A1 - Blomeyer, Dorothea A1 - Buchmann, Arlette F. A1 - Treutlein, Jens A1 - Schmidt, Martin H. A1 - Esser, Günter A1 - Jennen-Steinmetz, Christine A1 - Rietschel, Marcella A1 - Zimmermann, Ulrich S. A1 - Banaschewski, Tobias T1 - Catechol-O-methyltransferase Val158Met genotype, parenting practices and adolescent alcohol use: testing the differential susceptibility hypothesis JF - The journal of child psychology and psychiatry N2 - Background: Recently, first evidence has been reported for a geneparenting interaction (G x E) with regard to adolescent alcohol use. The present investigation set out to extend this research using the catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) Val158Met polymorphism as a genetic susceptibility factor. Moreover, the current study examined whether a potential G x E would be consistent with one of two models of geneenvironment interplay (genetic vulnerability vs. differential susceptibility). Methods: Data were collected as part of an ongoing epidemiological cohort study following the outcome of early risk factors from birth into adulthood. Two hundred and eighty-five participants (130 males, 155 females) were genotyped for the COMT Val(158) Met polymorphism and were administered an alcohol interview, providing measures of current frequency and amount of drinking at ages 15 and 19 years. Information on three dimensions of perceived parenting behavior was obtained from the 15-year-olds. Results: Adolescents homozygous for the Met allele showed higher drinking activity at age 19 years when their parents had engaged in less supervision or were less involved, while their drinking activity was reduced under conditions of favorable parenting. No such relationship was found in individuals carrying the Val allele. Conclusions: The present findings correspond with the pattern of results predicted by the differential susceptibility hypothesis, suggesting that environmental variation would have a greater impact in individuals carrying a genetic susceptibility such that, in this group, exposure to negative environmental conditions would result in more adverse outcomes and the experience of favorable conditions would lead to more positive outcomes. KW - Catechol-O-methyltransferase gene KW - alcohol use KW - adolescents KW - parenting KW - gene-environment interaction Y1 - 2012 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7610.2011.02408.x SN - 0021-9630 VL - 53 IS - 4 SP - 351 EP - 359 PB - Wiley-Blackwell CY - Malden ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Hohmann, S. A1 - Buchmann, Arlette F. A1 - Witt, S. H. A1 - Rietschel, M. A1 - Jennen-Steinmetz, Christine A1 - Schmidt, M. H. A1 - Esser, Günter A1 - Banaschewski, Tobias A1 - Laucht, Manfred T1 - Increasing association between a neuropeptide Y promoter polymorphism and body mass index during the course of development JF - Pediatric obesity N2 - Objective: To investigate the association of the neuropeptide Y (NPY) promoter polymorphism rs16147 with body mass index (BMI) during the course of development from infancy to adulthood. Design: Longitudinal, prospective study of a German community sample. Subjects: n = 306 young adults (139 males, 167 females). Measurements: Participants' body weight and height were assessed at the ages of 3 months and 2, 4.5, 8, 11, 15 and 19 years. NPY rs16147 was genotyped. Results: Controlling for a number of possible confounders, homozygote carriers of the rs16147 C allele exhibited significantly lower BMI scores when compared with individuals carrying the T allele. In addition, a significant genotype by age interaction emerged, indicating that the genotype effect increased during the course of development. Conclusions: This is the first longitudinal study to report an association between rs16147 and BMI during childhood and adolescence. The finding that this effect increased during the course of development may either be due to age-dependent alterations in gene expression or to maturation processes within the weight regulation circuits of the central nervous system. KW - Development KW - neuropeptide Y KW - rs16147 KW - weight regulation Y1 - 2012 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2047-6310.2012.00069.x SN - 2047-6310 VL - 7 IS - 6 SP - 453 EP - 460 PB - Wiley-Blackwell CY - Hoboken ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Goethe, Katrin A1 - Esser, Günter A1 - Gendt, Anja A1 - Kliegl, Reinhold T1 - Working memory in children tracing age differences and special educational needs to parameters of a formal model JF - Developmental psychology N2 - Parameters of a formal working-memory model were estimated for verbal and spatial memory updating of children. The model proposes interference though feature overwriting and through confusion of whole elements as the primary cause of working-memory capacity limits. We tested 2 age groups each containing 1 group of normal intelligence and I deficit group. For young children the deficit was developmental dyslexia; for older children it was a general learning difficulty. The interference model predicts less interference through overwriting but more through confusion of whole elements for the dyslexic children than for their age-matched controls. Older children exhibited less interference through confusion of whole elements and a higher processing rate than young children, but general learning difficulty was associated with slower processing than in the age-matched control group. Furthermore, the difference between verbal and spatial updating mapped onto several meaningful dissociations of model parameters. KW - working-memory capacity KW - interference model KW - dyslexia KW - general learning difficulty Y1 - 2012 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1037/a0025660 SN - 0012-1649 VL - 48 IS - 2 SP - 459 EP - 476 PB - American Psychological Association CY - Washington ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Göthe, Katrin A1 - Esser, Günter A1 - Gendt, Anja A1 - Kliegl, Reinhold T1 - Working memory in children : tracing age differences and special educational needs to parameters of a formal model N2 - Parameters of a formal working-memory model were estimated for verbal and spatial memory updating of children. The model proposes interference though feature overwriting and through confusion of whole elements as the primary cause of working-memory capacity limits. We tested 2 age groups each containing 1 group of normal intelligence and 1 deficit group. For young children the deficit was developmental dyslexia; for older children it was a general learning difficulty. The interference model predicts less interference through overwriting but more through confusion of whole elements for the dyslexic children than for their age-matched controls. Older children exhibited less interference through confusion of whole elements and a higher processing rate than young children, but general learning difficulty was associated with slower processing than in the age-matched control group. Furthermore, the difference between verbal and spatial updating mapped onto several meaningful dissociations of model parameters. Y1 - 2012 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Esser, Günter T1 - Verhaltenstherapie bei Kindern und Jugendlichen Y1 - 2011 SN - 978-3-932096-97-6 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Esser, Günter A1 - Wyschkon, Anne T1 - Diagnostik bei Kindern und Jugendlichen Y1 - 2011 SN - 978-3-932096-97-6 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Bakhshayesh, Ali Reza A1 - Hänsch, Sylvana A1 - Wyschkon, Anne A1 - Rezai, Mohammad Javad A1 - Esser, Günter T1 - Neurofeedback in ADHD : a single-blind randomized controlled trial N2 - Neurofeedback treatment has been demonstrated to reduce inattention, impulsivity and hyperactivity in children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). However, previous studies did not adequately control confounding variables or did not employ a randomized reinforcer-controlled design. This study addresses those methodological shortcomings by comparing the effects of the following two matched biofeedback training variants on the primary symptoms of ADHD: EEG neurofeedback (NF) aiming at theta/beta ratio reduction and EMG biofeedback (BF) aiming at forehead muscle relaxation. Thirty-five children with ADHD (26 boys, 9 girls; 6-14 years old) were randomly assigned to either the therapy group (NF; n = 18) or the control group (BF; n = 17). Treatment for both groups consisted of 30 sessions. Pre- and post-treatment assessment consisted of psychophysiological measures, behavioural rating scales completed by parents and teachers, as well as psychometric measures. Training effectively reduced theta/beta ratios and EMG levels in the NF and BF groups, respectively. Parents reported significant reductions in primary ADHD symptoms, and inattention improvements in the NF group were higher compared to the control intervention (BF, dcorr = -.94). NF training also improved attention and reaction times on the psychometric measures. The results indicate that NF effectively reduced inattention symptoms on parent rating scales and reaction time in neuropsychological tests. However, regarding hyperactivity and impulsivity symptoms, the results imply that non-specific factors, such as behavioural contingencies, self-efficacy, structured learning environment and feed-forward processes, may also contribute to the positive behavioural effects induced by neurofeedback training. Y1 - 2011 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Esser, Günter A1 - Blank, Sarah T1 - Wirksamkeit von Psychotherapie im Kindes- und Jugendalter N2 - Psychotherapeutic interventions require empirical as well as scientific assessment. Specifically, the proven efficacy of psychotherapy for children and adolescents is essential. Thus, studies examining treatment efficacy and meta- analyses are necessary to compare effect sizes of individual therapeutic interventions between treatment groups and waiting control groups. Assessment of 138 primary studies from 1993-2009 documented the efficacy of psychotherapy for children and adolescents. Furthermore, behavioural therapy outperformed non-behavioural interventions, as 90 % of behavioural interventions showed larger effect sizes compared to non-behavioural psychotherapy. Analysis of moderator variables demonstrated an improved treatment efficacy for individual therapy, inclusion of the family, treatment of internalised disorders, and in clinical samples. Stability of psychotherapeutic treatment effects over time was demonstrated. Y1 - 2011 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Holtmann, Martin A1 - Buchmann, Arlette F. A1 - Esser, Günter A1 - Schmidt, Martin H. A1 - Banaschewski, Tobias A1 - Laucht, Manfred T1 - The child behavior checklist-dysregulation profile predicts substance use, suicidality, and functional impairment : a longitudinal analysis N2 - Recent studies have identified a Child Behavior Checklist profile that characterizes children with severe affective and behavioral dysregulation (CBCL-dysregulation profile, CBCL-DP). In two recent longitudinal studies the CBCL-DP in childhood was associated with heightened rates of comorbid psychiatric disorders, among them bipolar disorder, an increased risk for suicidality, and marked psychosocial impairment at young-adult follow-up. This is the first study outside the US that examines the longitudinal course of the CBCL-DP. Methods: We studied the diagnostic and functional trajectories and the predictive utility of the CBCL-DP in the Mannheim Study of Children at Risk, an epidemiological cohort study on the outcome of early risk factors from birth into adulthood. A total of 325 young adults (151 males, 174 females) participated in the 19-year assessment. Results: Young adults with a higher CBCL-DP score in childhood were at increased risk for substance use disorders, suicidality and poorer overall functioning at age 19, even after adjustment for parental education, family income, impairment and psychiatric disorders at baseline. Childhood dysregulation was not related to bipolar disorder in young adulthood. The CBCL-DP was neither a precursor of a specific pattern of comorbidity nor of comorbidity in general. Conclusions: Children with high CBCL-DP values are at risk for later severe, psychiatric symptomatology. The different developmental trajectories suggest that the CBCL-DP is not simply an early manifestation of a single disease process but might rather be an early developmental risk marker of a persisting deficit of self-regulation of affect and behavior. Y1 - 2011 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Witt, Stephanie H. A1 - Buchmann, Arlette F. A1 - Blomeyer, Dorothea A1 - Nieratschker, Vanessa A1 - Treutlein, Jens A1 - Esser, Günter A1 - Schmidt, Martin H. A1 - Bidlingmaier, Martin A1 - Wiedemann, Klaus A1 - Rietschel, Marcella A1 - Laucht, Manfred A1 - Wuest, Stefan A1 - Zimmermann, Ulrich S. T1 - An interaction between a neuropeptide Y gene polymorphism and early adversity modulates endocrine stress responses JF - Psychoneuroendocrinology N2 - Interindividual variability in the regulation of the human stress system accounts for a part of the individual's liability to stress-related diseases. These differences are influenced by environmental and genetic factors. Early childhood adversity is a well-studied environmental factor affecting an individual's stress response which has been shown to be modulated by gene environment interaction (GxE). Neuropeptide Y (NPY) plays a role in stress regulation and genetic variation in NPY may influence stress responses. In this study, we analyzed the association of a common variant in the NPY gene promoter, rs16147, with cortisol and ACTH responses to acute psychosocial stress in young adults from the Mannheim Study of Children at Risk (MARS), an ongoing epidemiological cohort study following the outcome of early adversity from birth into adulthood. We found evidence of a GxE interaction between rs16147 and early adversity significantly affecting HPA axis responses to acute psychosocial stress. These findings suggest that the neurobiological mechanisms linking early adverse experience and later neuroendocrine stress regulation are modulated by a gene variant whose functional relevance is documented by increasing convergent evidence from in vitro, animal and human studies. KW - GxE interaction KW - Stress KW - HPA KW - Neuropeptide Y KW - Early adversity Y1 - 2011 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2010.12.015 SN - 0306-4530 VL - 36 IS - 7 SP - 1010 EP - 1020 PB - Elsevier CY - Oxford ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Bakhshayesh, Ali Reza A1 - Hänsch, Sylvana A1 - Wyschkon, Anne A1 - Rezai, Mohammad Javad A1 - Esser, Günter T1 - Neurofeedback in ADHD a single-blind randomized controlled trial JF - European child and adolescent psychiatry : offical journal of the European Society for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry N2 - Neurofeedback treatment has been demonstrated to reduce inattention, impulsivity and hyperactivity in children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). However, previous studies did not adequately control confounding variables or did not employ a randomized reinforcer-controlled design. This study addresses those methodological shortcomings by comparing the effects of the following two matched biofeedback training variants on the primary symptoms of ADHD: EEG neurofeedback (NF) aiming at theta/beta ratio reduction and EMG biofeedback (BF) aiming at forehead muscle relaxation. Thirty-five children with ADHD (26 boys, 9 girls; 6-14 years old) were randomly assigned to either the therapy group (NF; n = 18) or the control group (BF; n = 17). Treatment for both groups consisted of 30 sessions. Pre- and post-treatment assessment consisted of psychophysiological measures, behavioural rating scales completed by parents and teachers, as well as psychometric measures. Training effectively reduced theta/beta ratios and EMG levels in the NF and BF groups, respectively. Parents reported significant reductions in primary ADHD symptoms, and inattention improvements in the NF group were higher compared to the control intervention (BF, d(corr) = -.94). NF training also improved attention and reaction times on the psychometric measures. The results indicate that NF effectively reduced inattention symptoms on parent rating scales and reaction time in neuropsychological tests. However, regarding hyperactivity and impulsivity symptoms, the results imply that non-specific factors, such as behavioural contingencies, self-efficacy, structured learning environment and feed-forward processes, may also contribute to the positive behavioural effects induced by neurofeedback training. KW - Biofeedback KW - Neurofeedback KW - EMG biofeedback KW - ADHD KW - Single-blind Y1 - 2011 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-011-0208-y SN - 1018-8827 VL - 20 IS - 9 SP - 481 EP - 491 PB - Springer CY - New York ER -