Prevention of Early Substance Use Mediates, and Variation at SLC6A4 Moderates, SAAF Intervention Effects on OXTR Methylation.
- Authors
- Beach, Steven R H; Lei, Man Kit; Brody, Gene H; Philibert, Robert A
- Year
- 2018
- Journal
- Prevention science : the official journal of the Society for Prevention Research
- PMID
- 27655391
- DOI
- 10.1007/s11121-016-0709-5
- PMCID
- PMC5360555
The Strong African American Family (SAAF) program has been shown to have a variety of short and long-term benefits for participating youth and families. However, biological mechanisms potentially influencing long-term effects on resilience in young adulthood have not been examined. In the current investigation, we examine the effects of SAAF on methylation of the OXTR gene in young adulthood, focusing on a regulatory region previously identified to be both responsive to stress and implicated in resilience. Using the subsample of participants from the original study for whom methylation data was available (N = 388), we replicated the previously reported G × E effect on prevention of early substance use and then examined whether there would also be a moderated effect on OXTR methylation in early adulthood, with "s" allele carriers, but not "LL" participants, showing a significant indirect effect of SAAF on OXTR methylation. Results suggest that for susceptible youth (i.e., "s" allele carriers), preventive intervention may "get under the skin," in a manner potentially beneficial for long-term outcomes. Implications for examination of OXTR methylation in future prevention research are discussed.
Theoretical model linking SAAF to OXTR methylation via effect on substance use initiation. The model indicates that presence of the 5-HTTLPR s-allele will be associated with greater effects at each stage, leading to a moderated mediation of SAAF effects on OXTR methylation.
Figure 2a. Predicted value of substance use initiation at age 13 for control and prevention group by genotype at 5-HTTLPR.Figure 2b: The effect of substance use initiation at age 13 on OXTR methylation moderated by 5-HTTLPR (s allele carriers vs. noncarriers)
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In this knowledge base
| Title | Year | PMID |
|---|---|---|
| Commentary for Special Issue of Prevention Science "Using Genetics in Prevention: Science Fiction or Science Fact?". | 2018 | 28735446 |
External
| Title | Authors | Journal | Year | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Epigenetics, Resilience, Protective Factors and Factors Promoting Positive Outcomes: A Scoping Review. | Assis SG et al. | — | 2025 | → |
| Transgenerational Inheritance and Systemic Racism in America. | Kaufman J et al. | — | 2023 | → |
| Models of gene-culture evolution are incomplete without incorporating epigenetic effects. | Ragsdale G et al. | — | 2022 | → |
| An epigenetic rheostat of experience: DNA methylation of <i>OXTR</i> as a mechanism of early life allostasis. | Danoff JS et al. | — | 2021 | → |
| Pathways linking adverse environments to emerging adults' substance abuse and depressive symptoms: A prospective analysis of rural African American men. | Kogan SM et al. | — | 2021 | → |
| The Impact of Genes on Adolescent Substance Use: A Developmental Perspective. | Trucco EM et al. | — | 2019 | → |
| Commentary for Special Issue of Prevention Science "Using Genetics in Prevention: Science Fiction or Science Fact?" | Dick DM | — | 2018 | → |
| Genomics, Big Data, and Broad Consent: a New Ethics Frontier for Prevention Science. | Fisher CB et al. | — | 2018 | → |