Genome-wide analyses reveal DNA methylation in the central nucleus of the amygdala is linked to anxious temperament in young primates. Macaca mulatta

We used reduced representation bisulfite sequencing to profiled 5-methylcytosine in the Ce of rhesus monkeys (N = 23) fully phenotyped for anxious temperament (AT) and identified 5,489 CpG sites (1,363 genes) with methylation levels predictive of individual differences in AT (FDR p-value < 0.05), including genes previously implicated in psychiatric-related disorders (e.g. GRIN1, GRM5, HTT, ADCYAP1, and SHANK3). Overall design: Used RRBS to profile the central nucleus of the amygdala of 23 monkeys and the resulting data analyzed using anxious temperament as a continuous trait using only age as a covariate.