Project Summary

Elizabeth P. Hayden, Ph.D. (Young Investigator 2006) of the University of Western Ontario, plans to study the endophenotype of positive emotionality (PE) in preschool children as a predictor of depression. Endophenotype is a heritable trait associated with a disease that precedes illness onset and is present in unaffected relatives. As an alternative to the traditional strategy of investigating the association of genes with diagnostic categories, psychiatric genetic researchers are now using endophenotypes. Compared to diagnoses, endophenotypes may better reflect genetic mechanisms, may be more stable across development, and may also help identify those at risk. PE, the predisposition to experience positive affect and be sensitive to environmental signals of reward, shows a strong heritable component and is a predictor of depression. However, the molecular basis of PE is not understood. In the proposed project, Dr. Hayden will examine an array of candidate genes for PE in a sample of 500 preschoolers assessed for temperament. She also will collect information about the home environment to examine how it interacts with genes in predicting child temperament

Program Area: EATING DISORDERS\Bulimia Nervosa

Search Again