ABSTRACT
Effects of DRD4 and 5-HTTLPR length polymorphisms have been reported on neonatal and infant temperament as well as adult personality traits. The 7-repeat form of the DRD4 III exon VNTR polymorphism has been associated with childhood ADHD, and recently we have reported its link with attachment disorganization in a nonclinical population of infants. Here, we report associations of these polymorphisms with infant temperament at 12 months of age. Maternal accounts of temperament and observed response to novelty were investigated for 90 infants, who were independently genotyped for the DRD4 III exon, and for 5-HTT-linked promoter region length polymorphisms. Maternal rating of temperament was not affected by these polymorphisms, but we found combined genotype effects for infants' observed responses to a novel, anxiety-provoking stimulus: the appearance of, and approach by, a stranger. Infants with at least one copy of both the 7-repeat DRD4 allele and the long variant of 5-HTTLPR (7(+), l/l&l/s) responded with significantly less anxiety than infants with other genotypes. However, infants with the 7-repeat DRD4 allele and homozygous for the short form of 5-HTTLPR (7(+), s/s) showed more anxiety and resistance to the stranger's initiation of interaction. These genotype effects were not redundant with the previously reported association between the 7-repeat DRD4 allele and disorganized attachment behavior. Although both temperament and attachment behavior were affected by the DRD4 repeat polymorphism, the effect on temperament measures was modified by the infants' 5-HTTLPR genotype.
Subject(s)
Carrier Proteins/genetics , Exploratory Behavior/physiology , Infant Behavior/physiology , Membrane Glycoproteins/genetics , Membrane Transport Proteins , Nerve Tissue Proteins , Polymorphism, Genetic , Receptors, Dopamine D2/genetics , Fear/physiology , Genotype , Humans , Infant , Object Attachment , Personality/genetics , Promoter Regions, Genetic/genetics , Receptors, Dopamine D4 , Serotonin Plasma Membrane Transport ProteinsABSTRACT
The objective of this research was to investigate the effects of electrical and gas stunning on the meat and liver quality characteristics of liver geese. Sixty birds were slaughtered at 12 wk of age, in groups of 20 at three different times. Thirty birds each were subjected to one of the two stunning methods. Deboned breast fillets and thigh muscles were evaluated for hemorrhaging, amount of blood in the veins, and color by using a visual grading system. Livers were removed from carcasses during evisceration and were subsequently graded. Besides external color and hemorrhaging, the degree of liver weight loss due to removal of blood vessels was also determined. The use of controlled atmosphere stunning significantly reduced the incidence of muscle hemorrhages when compared to electrical stunning. However, no significant difference was found for color or amount of blood remaining in the veins of muscles between geese receiving electrical or controlled atmosphere stunning. The hemorrhaging and color scores of livers from gas-stunned birds did not differ from those of electrically stunned birds. As for the liver weight loss caused by removal of veins and capillaries, stunning treatment had no significant effect on this parameter. These results suggest that controlled atmosphere stunning produced slightly better quality goose meat but did not improve liver quality when compared to the electrical stunning method used.
