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Oxytocin System Gene Methylation Modulates Empathic Responses to Emotionally Salient Images of Children

Fri, March 22, 8:00 to 9:30am, Hilton Baltimore, Floor: Level 1, Johnson A

Integrative Statement

The ability to empathize is inextricably linked with sensitive caregiving behavior (Decety, 2015), which is a crucial predictor of children’s healthy development (Ainsworth & Bell, 1970; Belsky & Jaffee, 2006; Bowlby, 1988). Considerable evidence demonstrates a key role of the neuropeptide oxytocin (OXT) in promoting both human caregiving and empathy (Bos, 2016). Functioning of the OXT system is dependent on the expression of OXT system genes via epigenetic processes, that are partly influenced by family-level environmental factors (Bird, 2007; Haas et al., 2016; Kumsta, Hummel, Chen, & Heinrichs, 2013). However, little is known about how variability in the expression of OXT system genes influences caregiving behaviors. In the current study we investigated whether epigenetic control of the OXT and OXT receptor (OXTR) genes via DNA methylation was associated with empathic responses to emotionally salient images depicting children.We hypothesized that lower levels of OXT and OXTR gene methylation, reflective of increased gene expression, would be related to increased empathic responses to images of children.
The study population concerned 81 nulliparous females participated in the study (Mage = 23.60, SD = 0.44). Participants were part of the Research on Adolescent Development and Relationships (RADAR) study, a Dutch longitudinal, community-based study.
Methods. Empathic responses to positive or negative affective images of children in naturalistic contexts were assessed with facial electromyography (EMG) recordings, a common measure of empathy in humans (Kraaijenvanger, Hofman, & Bos, 2017). Facial EMG was recorded from bipolar electrode montages placed over the left zygomaticus major (ZYG) and corrugator supercilii (COR), to measure smiling and frowning responses, respectively. Additionally, the empathic concern subscale of the Dutch version of the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI; De Corte et al., 2007) was administered to validate the use of facial EMG as a measure of empathy. Saliva samples were assayed and analyzed to quantify DNA methylation across targeted sequences of the OXT and OXTR genes using methylation-sensitive high-resolution melting (MS-HRM). Linear mixed-effects analyses were conducted to assess the effect of methylation levels on facial EMG activity.
Our results revealed that lower methylation levels of OXT system genes were related to enhanced facial muscle responsiveness. Specifically, COR responses were significantly associated with OXT and OXTR methylation levels such that participants with lower levels of methylation showed increased frowning in response to negative images and enhanced relaxation of the COR in response to positive images. Additionally, ZYG activity was only significantly associated with OXT methylation levels such that lower levels of OXT methylation were related to increased smiling in response to positive images and enhanced relaxation of the ZYG in response to negative images. Furthermore, empathic concern was significantly related to stronger responsiveness to the affective images across both COR and ZYG.
Results provide initial evidence that participants with lower methylation levels of OXT related genes indeed show increased empathic responses towards emotionally salient images of children. This suggests the importance of future inquiries into epigenetic processes that may modulate the relation between OXT system functioning, caregiving behavior, and child outcomes across development.

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