This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. Anxiety and depressive disorders are common psychiatric illnesses of both childhood and adulthood. Not only are they common, they are highly comorbid and strongly aggregate within families. The commonness and complex nature of these disorders, however, argues that it will be difficult to determine their genetic underpinnings. Special study designs may be required to make significant progress. One such design evaluates an appropriate animal model, with the expectation that the model will be informative regarding some of the genes or pathways contributing to human liability. In this study, we examine the neurobehavioral genetics of young rhesus monkeys. Specifically, we are studying the genetic underpinnings of behaviors in rhesus monkeys that parallel behavioral and temperamental traits linked to anxiety disorders and depression in humans. In humans, several interrelated behavioral traits, including fearfulness and behavioral inhibition, are strongly linked to an increased propensity to develop anxiety disorders and depression. We assess fearful and inhibited behavior using four common temperament tests used in children. In addition, we are evaluating the genetic basis of a biological attribute correlated with anxious and depressive disorders in humans, specifically blunted growth hormone (GH) responsiveness to pharmacological stimulation.
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