Genetic Differences in Reactivity to the Environment Impact Psychotic-Like and Affective Reactivity in Daily Life
Barrantes-Vidal, Neus (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament de Psicologia Clínica i de la Salut)
Torrecilla Gonzalez, Pilar (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament de Psicologia Clínica i de la Salut)
Mas-Bermejo, Patricia (Universitat de Barcelona. Departament de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències Ambientals)
Papiol, Sergi (Instituto de Salud Carlos III)
Bakermans-Kranenburg, Marian (Instituto Universitário de Ciências Psicológicas, Sociais e da Vida)
Rosa de la Cruz, Araceli (Universitat de Barcelona. Institut de Biomedicina)
Kwapil, Thomas (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Department of Psychology)

Date:	2025
Abstract:	Consistent with diathesis-stress models, psychosis research has focused on genetic moderation of adverse environmental exposures. In contrast, the Differential Susceptibility (DS) model suggests that the same genetic variants that increase risk-inducing effects of adverse experiences also enhance beneficial effects from positive experiences. This study examined whether individuals with high genetic susceptibility to the environment showed differential psychotic-like and affective reactivity in response to positive and negative events in daily life. Experience sampling methodology assessed context (positive and stressful) and momentary levels of paranoia, psychotic-like experiences (PLE), and positive (PA) and negative affect (NA) in 217 non-clinical adults oversampled for schizotypy. Linear mixed models examined whether Polygenic Risk Scores of Environmental Sensitivity (PRS-ES) moderated the impact of current context on subsequent experiences. PRS-ES moderated positive, but not stressful, context on subsequent levels of momentary paranoia, NA, and PA, but not PLE. Genetic and environmental (G × E) interactions indicated diathesis-stress at lower thresholds of PRS-ES, but a DS model at the highest threshold of the PRS-ES. Participants with elevated PRS-ES showed increased paranoia and NA and decreased PA in subsequent assessments when reporting low levels of positive situations, but also decreased paranoia and NA and increased PA when rating contexts as positive. Findings support the influence of genetic sensitivity to the environment on psychotic-like and affective reactivity in daily life, particularly in response to positive contexts. This highlights the transdiagnostic protective role of positive experiences and informs ecological momentary interventions.
Grants:	Agencia Estatal de Investigación PSI2017-91814-EXP Agencia Estatal de Investigación PID2020-119211RB-I00 Agència de Gestió d'Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca 2021/SGR-01010
Note:	Altres ajuts: NBV is supported by the ICREA Academia Award of the Generalitat de Catalunya. PMB was funded by Institut de Biomedicina de la Universitat de Barcelona (IBUB) and the PhD scholarship program FI-SDUR (2021/FISDU-00032) from Agencia de Gestión de Ayudas Universitarias y de Investigación. PT was funded by Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (PRE2018-085299).
Rights:	Aquest document està subjecte a una llicència d'ús Creative Commons. Es permet la reproducció total o parcial, la distribució, la comunicació pública de l'obra i la creació d'obres derivades, fins i tot amb finalitats comercials, sempre i quan es reconegui l'autoria de l'obra original.
Language:	Anglès
Document:	Article ; recerca ; Versió publicada
Subject:	Schizotypy ; Psychosis ; Gene-environment interaction ; Experience sampling methodology ; Differential susceptibility ; Polygenic Risk Score
Published in:	Schizophrenia bulletin, Vol. 51, núm S2 (March 2025) , p. S74-S84, ISSN 1745-1701

DOI: 10.1093/schbul/sbad162
PMID: 40037823

11 p, 1.4 MB

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