BACKGROUND: Previous evidence has shown that genetic variations in the serotonergic system contribute to individual differences in personality traits germane to impulse control. The monoamine oxidase-A (MAO-A) gene, coding for an enzyme primarily involved in serotonin and noradrenaline catabolism, presents a well-characterized functional polymorphism consisting of a variable number of tandem repeats in the promoter region, with high-activity and low-activity variants. High-activity allele carriers have higher enzyme expression, lower amine concentration, and present higher scores on behavioral measures of impulsivity than low-activity allele carriers. METHODS: We studied the relationship of this polymorphism to brain activity elicited by a response inhibition task (Go/NoGo task), using blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) functional magnetic resonance imaging in 24 healthy men. RESULTS: Direct comparison between groups revealed a greater BOLD response in the right ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (Brodmann's area [BA] 45/47) in high-activity allele carriers, whereas a greater response in the right superior parietal cortex (BA 7) and bilateral extrastriate cortex (BA 18) was found in low-activity allele carriers. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that a specific genetic variation involving serotonergic catabolism can modulate BOLD response associated with human impulsivity.
BACKGROUND: Previous evidence has shown that genetic variations in the serotonergic system contribute to individual differences in personality traits germane to impulse control. The monoamine oxidase-A (MAO-A) gene, coding for an enzyme primarily involved in serotonin and noradrenaline catabolism, presents a well-characterized functional polymorphism consisting of a variable number of tandem repeats in the promoter region, with high-activity and low-activity variants. High-activity allele carriers have higher enzyme expression, lower amine concentration, and present higher scores on behavioral measures of impulsivity than low-activity allele carriers. METHODS: We studied the relationship of this polymorphism to brain activity elicited by a response inhibition task (Go/NoGo task), using blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) functional magnetic resonance imaging in 24 healthy men. RESULTS: Direct comparison between groups revealed a greater BOLD response in the right ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (Brodmann's area [BA] 45/47) in high-activity allele carriers, whereas a greater response in the right superior parietal cortex (BA 7) and bilateral extrastriate cortex (BA 18) was found in low-activity allele carriers. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that a specific genetic variation involving serotonergic catabolism can modulate BOLD response associated with human impulsivity.
Authors: Marco Bortolato; Sean C Godar; Miriam Melis; Alessio Soggiu; Paola Roncada; Angelo Casu; Giovanna Flore; Kevin Chen; Roberto Frau; Andrea Urbani; M Paola Castelli; Paola Devoto; Jean C Shih Journal: J Neurosci Date: 2012-06-20 Impact factor: 6.167
Authors: Frederic Boy; C John Evans; Richard A E Edden; Andrew D Lawrence; Krish D Singh; Masud Husain; Petroc Sumner Journal: Biol Psychiatry Date: 2011-07-14 Impact factor: 13.382
Authors: E Gorodetsky; L Bevilacqua; V Carli; M Sarchiapone; A Roy; D Goldman; M-A Enoch Journal: Genes Brain Behav Date: 2014-05-31 Impact factor: 3.449