Dopaminergic gene methylation is associated with cognitive performance in a childhood monozygotic twin study
Individual differences in cognitive function are due to a combination of heritable and non-heritable factors. A large body of evidence from clinical, cognitive, and pharmacological neuroscience implicates dopaminergic gene variants as modulators of cognitive functions. Neuroepigenetic studies demons...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Taylor & Francis Group
2019-03-01
|
| Series: | Epigenetics |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/15592294.2019.1583032 |
| _version_ | 1797678891356127232 |
|---|---|
| author | Candace R. Lewis Adrienne Henderson-Smith Reagan S. Breitenstein Hayley A. Sowards Ignazio S. Piras Matthew J. Huentelman Leah D. Doane Kathryn Lemery-Chalfant |
| author_facet | Candace R. Lewis Adrienne Henderson-Smith Reagan S. Breitenstein Hayley A. Sowards Ignazio S. Piras Matthew J. Huentelman Leah D. Doane Kathryn Lemery-Chalfant |
| author_sort | Candace R. Lewis |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Individual differences in cognitive function are due to a combination of heritable and non-heritable factors. A large body of evidence from clinical, cognitive, and pharmacological neuroscience implicates dopaminergic gene variants as modulators of cognitive functions. Neuroepigenetic studies demonstrate environmental factors also influence complex phenotypes by affecting gene expression regulation. To evaluate the mechanism of environmental influence on cognitive abilities, we examined if epigenetic regulation of dopaminergic genes plays a role in cognition. Using a DNA methylation profiling microarray, we used a monozygotic (MZ) twin difference design to evaluate if co-twin differences in methylation of CpG sites near six dopaminergic genes predicted differences in response inhibition and memory performance. Studying MZ twins allows us to assess if environmentally driven differences in methylation affect differences in phenotype while controlling for the influence of genotype and shared family environment. Response inhibition was assessed with the flanker task and short-term and working memory were assessed with digit span recall. We found MZ co-twin differences in DRD4 gene methylation predicted differences in short-term memory. MZ differences in COMT, DBH, DAT1, DRD1, and DRD2 gene methylation predicted differences in response inhibition. Taken together, findings suggest methylation status of dopaminergic genes may influence cognitive functions in a dissociable manner. Our results highlight the importance of the epigenome and environment, over and above the influence of genotype, in supporting complex cognitive functions. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T23:06:31Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-670891c6f1484e30bc4f1bda2f7ac658 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1559-2294 1559-2308 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T23:06:31Z |
| publishDate | 2019-03-01 |
| publisher | Taylor & Francis Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Epigenetics |
| spelling | doaj.art-670891c6f1484e30bc4f1bda2f7ac6582023-09-21T13:09:21ZengTaylor & Francis GroupEpigenetics1559-22941559-23082019-03-0114331032310.1080/15592294.2019.15830321583032Dopaminergic gene methylation is associated with cognitive performance in a childhood monozygotic twin studyCandace R. Lewis0Adrienne Henderson-Smith1Reagan S. Breitenstein2Hayley A. Sowards3Ignazio S. Piras4Matthew J. Huentelman5Leah D. Doane6Kathryn Lemery-Chalfant7Translational Genomics Research InstituteTranslational Genomics Research InstituteArizona State UniversityArizona State UniversityTranslational Genomics Research InstituteTranslational Genomics Research InstituteArizona State UniversityArizona State UniversityIndividual differences in cognitive function are due to a combination of heritable and non-heritable factors. A large body of evidence from clinical, cognitive, and pharmacological neuroscience implicates dopaminergic gene variants as modulators of cognitive functions. Neuroepigenetic studies demonstrate environmental factors also influence complex phenotypes by affecting gene expression regulation. To evaluate the mechanism of environmental influence on cognitive abilities, we examined if epigenetic regulation of dopaminergic genes plays a role in cognition. Using a DNA methylation profiling microarray, we used a monozygotic (MZ) twin difference design to evaluate if co-twin differences in methylation of CpG sites near six dopaminergic genes predicted differences in response inhibition and memory performance. Studying MZ twins allows us to assess if environmentally driven differences in methylation affect differences in phenotype while controlling for the influence of genotype and shared family environment. Response inhibition was assessed with the flanker task and short-term and working memory were assessed with digit span recall. We found MZ co-twin differences in DRD4 gene methylation predicted differences in short-term memory. MZ differences in COMT, DBH, DAT1, DRD1, and DRD2 gene methylation predicted differences in response inhibition. Taken together, findings suggest methylation status of dopaminergic genes may influence cognitive functions in a dissociable manner. Our results highlight the importance of the epigenome and environment, over and above the influence of genotype, in supporting complex cognitive functions.http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/15592294.2019.1583032dna methylationcognitionmemorydopamineepigeneticschildhoodtwinresponse inhibition |
| spellingShingle | Candace R. Lewis Adrienne Henderson-Smith Reagan S. Breitenstein Hayley A. Sowards Ignazio S. Piras Matthew J. Huentelman Leah D. Doane Kathryn Lemery-Chalfant Dopaminergic gene methylation is associated with cognitive performance in a childhood monozygotic twin study Epigenetics dna methylation cognition memory dopamine epigenetics childhood twin response inhibition |
| title | Dopaminergic gene methylation is associated with cognitive performance in a childhood monozygotic twin study |
| title_full | Dopaminergic gene methylation is associated with cognitive performance in a childhood monozygotic twin study |
| title_fullStr | Dopaminergic gene methylation is associated with cognitive performance in a childhood monozygotic twin study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Dopaminergic gene methylation is associated with cognitive performance in a childhood monozygotic twin study |
| title_short | Dopaminergic gene methylation is associated with cognitive performance in a childhood monozygotic twin study |
| title_sort | dopaminergic gene methylation is associated with cognitive performance in a childhood monozygotic twin study |
| topic | dna methylation cognition memory dopamine epigenetics childhood twin response inhibition |
| url | http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/15592294.2019.1583032 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT candacerlewis dopaminergicgenemethylationisassociatedwithcognitiveperformanceinachildhoodmonozygotictwinstudy AT adriennehendersonsmith dopaminergicgenemethylationisassociatedwithcognitiveperformanceinachildhoodmonozygotictwinstudy AT reagansbreitenstein dopaminergicgenemethylationisassociatedwithcognitiveperformanceinachildhoodmonozygotictwinstudy AT hayleyasowards dopaminergicgenemethylationisassociatedwithcognitiveperformanceinachildhoodmonozygotictwinstudy AT ignaziospiras dopaminergicgenemethylationisassociatedwithcognitiveperformanceinachildhoodmonozygotictwinstudy AT matthewjhuentelman dopaminergicgenemethylationisassociatedwithcognitiveperformanceinachildhoodmonozygotictwinstudy AT leahddoane dopaminergicgenemethylationisassociatedwithcognitiveperformanceinachildhoodmonozygotictwinstudy AT kathrynlemerychalfant dopaminergicgenemethylationisassociatedwithcognitiveperformanceinachildhoodmonozygotictwinstudy |