Unstable Maternal Environment, Separation Anxiety, and Heightened CO2 Sensitivity Induced by Gene-by-Environment Interplay

Francesca D'amato, Claudio Zanettini, Valentina Lampis, Roberto Coccurello, Tiziana Pascucci, Rossella Ventura, Stefano Puglisi-Allegra, Chiara Spatola, Paola Pesenti-Gritti, Diego Oddi, Anna Moles, Marco Battaglia
PLoS ONE   unpublished
In man, many different events implying childhood separation from caregivers/unstable parental environment are associated with heightened risk for panic disorder in adulthood. Twin data show that the occurrence of such events in childhood contributes to explaining the covariation between separation anxiety disorder, panic, and the related psychobiological trait of CO 2 hypersensitivity. We hypothesized that early interference with infant-mother interaction could moderate the interspecific trait
more » ... f response to CO 2 through genetic control of sensitivity to the environment.
fatcat:el5wysjnvfej7mwki7pmsiggou