Session: Infusing Genetic and Neurobehavioral Methods Into Personalized Preventive Interventions for High Risk Children (Society for Prevention Research 21st Annual Meeting)

SESSION INTRODUCTION:  A new generation of genetics and neuroscience research is paving the way to a greater understanding of how genetic and neurobehavioral variables moderate individual responsivity to preventive interventions. The goal of this symposium session is to identify and describe innovative methods for translating basic research in genomics, neuroscience, and developmental psychopathology into the design of preventive interventions. It is anticipated that such knowledge can be used to inform tactical questions in ‘personalization’ research such as how to match interventions to the unique risk profiles of vulnerable individuals.

The first paper, ”The Application of Genetic Micro-Trial Technology to Tailor An Adolescent Drug Abuse Program” demonstrates how micro-trials can be used to test whether an important risk mechanism linked to adolescent drug abuse (i.e., decision-making as measured by delay discounting) can be differentially influenced by two evidence-based interventions developmentally suitable for adolescents, and whether intervention effects will vary by different genotype and decision-making style.

The second paper, “The Use of SMART Design to Construct Adaptive Intervention Strategies for Conduct Problems Prevention”, illustrates the use of SMART (sequential multiple assignment randomization trial) to construct adaptive intervention strategies for conduct problems prevention. In a SMART participants move through multiple stages of intervention; each stage corresponds to a critical decision point; and participants are randomized at each stage to a set of intervention options. We seek to develop an adaptive model that will stipulate for whom only brief (parent or youth) prevention strategies are sufficient and for whom more intensive strategies are necessary. We will evaluate the role of executive functioning as key tailoring variable in this model.

The third paper, “Identifying Targets for School-Based Prevention Programs: A Gene by Intervention Interaction with Impulsive Behaviors” illustrates the use of genetic methodology (SNPs collected from genome-wide assays) to demonstrate how genetic factors may explain variability in long-term intervention outcomes of preventive interventions. This study, using latent class analysis, found statistical haplotypes within a gene, which has previously been linked to impulsive behaviors and ADHD diagnoses. The findings demonstrated that haplotypes found within the BNDF gene moderated the effects of both classroom-centered and family-focused interventions on trait levels of impulsivity measured from grades 6 -12.

At the conclusion of the presentations, the discussant will make some summary statements and address the overarching topic of integrating neurobiology into prevention science.