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 -