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World J Psychiatr. Sep 19, 2021; 11(9): 530-542
Published online Sep 19, 2021. doi: 10.5498/wjp.v11.i9.530
Genetics of adult attachment: An updated review of the literature
Leire Erkoreka, Mercedes Zumarraga, Aurora Arrue, M Isabel Zamalloa, Ainara Arnaiz, Olga Olivas, Teresa Moreno-Calle, Estela Saez, Jon Garcia, Elena Marin, Noemi Varela, Ana Gonzalez-Pinto, Nieves Basterreche
Leire Erkoreka, Teresa Moreno-Calle, Estela Saez, Department of Psychiatry, Galdakao-Usansolo Hospital, Osakidetza Basque Health Service, Galdakao 48960, Spain
Leire Erkoreka, Jon Garcia, Department of Neurosciences, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, Leioa 48940, Spain
Leire Erkoreka, Mercedes Zumarraga, Aurora Arrue, M Isabel Zamalloa, Ainara Arnaiz, Olga Olivas, Teresa Moreno-Calle, Jon Garcia, Elena Marin, Noemi Varela, Grupo Red de Salud Mental, Biocruces Bizkaia Health Research Institute, Barakaldo 48903, Spain
Mercedes Zumarraga, Aurora Arrue, M Isabel Zamalloa, Department of Neurochemical Research, Bizkaia Mental Health Network, Osakidetza Basque Health Service, Barakaldo 48903, Spain
Ainara Arnaiz, Erandio Mental Health Center, Bizkaia Mental Health Network, Osakidetza Basque Health Service, Erandio 48950, Spain
Olga Olivas, Zaldibar Hospital, Bizkaia Mental Health Network, Osakidetza Basque Health Service, Zaldibar 48250, Spain
Jon Garcia, Noemi Varela, Nieves Basterreche, Zamudio Hospital, Bizkaia Mental Health Network, Osakidetza Basque Health Service, Zamudio 48170, Spain
Elena Marin, Bermeo Hospital, Bizkaia Mental Health Network, Osakidetza Basque Health Service, Bermeo 48370, Spain
Ana Gonzalez-Pinto, Department of Psychiatry, BioAraba Research Institute, Araba University Hospital, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), CIBERSAM, Vitoria-Gasteiz 01004, Spain
Nieves Basterreche, Grupo de investigación integradora en Salud Mental, Biocruces Bizkaia Health Research Institute, Barakaldo 48903, Spain
Author contributions: Erkoreka L, Zumarraga M, Arrue A, Zamalloa MI, Arnaiz A, Olivas O, Moreno-Calle T, Saez E, Garcia J, Marin E, Varela N and Basterreche N contributed to the literature search and article review; Erkoreka L, Zumarraga M, Arrue A and Basterreche N wrote the draft; Gonzalez-Pinto A contributed to the revision; All authors revised and approved the final manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Leire Erkoreka, MD, PhD, Associate Chief Physician, Department of Psychiatry, Galdakao-Usansolo Hospital, Osakidetza Basque Health Service, Labeaga Auzoa 46A, Galdakao 48960, Spain. leire.erkorekagonzalez@osakidetza.eus
Received: February 25, 2021
Peer-review started: February 25, 2021
First decision: April 21, 2021
Revised: May 4, 2021
Accepted: July 29, 2021
Article in press: July 29, 2021
Published online: September 19, 2021
Processing time: 202 Days and 0.5 Hours
Abstract

Attachment style, which has been theorized to be rooted in childhood bonding experiences, influences adult cognitive, emotional and interpersonal functioning. Despite its relationship with early experiences, research indicates that the continuity of attachment style across childhood and adulthood is only partial, being a malleable tendency that is shaped throughout development, with an increasing influence of genetics, as it occurs in other cognitive and behavioral phenotypes. Genetic research indicates that up to 45% of the variability in anxious and 39% in avoidant adult attachment style could be explained by genetic causes, but the precise mechanisms remain unclear. A narrative review is conducted analyzing the existing literature regarding the implication of candidate genes related to oxytocin, dopaminergic pathways, serotonergic pathways and brain-derived neurotrophic factor in adult attachment, with both vulnerability and differential susceptibility approaches, yielding mixed results. We highlight the lack of genome-wide studies and the scarcity of epigenetic investigation. Based on the existing data, we conclude that the genetics of adult attachment is an area that requires further research to clarify its etiological role and that it should be preferably approached as an interaction between nature and nurture.

Keywords: Genetics; Adult attachment; Oxytocin; Dopamine; Serotonin; Brain-derived neurotrophic factor; Methylation

Core Tip: Attachment style influences adult cognitive, emotional and interpersonal functioning. Despite its relationship with early experiences, it is a malleable tendency that is shaped throughout development. Genetic research indicates that up to 45% of the variability in anxious and 39% in avoidant adult attachment style could be explained by genetic causes. A narrative review is conducted analyzing the existing literature regarding the implication of candidate genes, with vulnerability and differential susceptibility approaches. We highlight the lack of genome-wide studies and scarcity of epigenetic investigation, concluding that further research is needed to clarify the etiological role of genetics on adult attachment.