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BACKGROUND: Current models suggest that a variation in the promoter region of the serotonin transporter gene (5-HTTLPR) is associated with altered amygdala reactivity not only towards negative but also towards positive stimuli, which has been neglected in the past. This association may possibly convey an elevated vulnerability for psychopathology like abuse, craving, and relapses. Since appetitive conditioning is a crucial mechanism in the pathogenesis of these psychiatric disorders, the identification of specific factors contributing to interindividual variation is important. METHODS: In the present study (N = 86), an appetitive conditioning paradigm was conducted, in which a neutral stimulus (CS+) was associated with appetitive stimuli, while a second stimulus (CS-) predicted their absence. Subjects were genotyped according to the 5-HTTLPR genotype. RESULTS: As the main result, we report a significant association between the 5-HTTLPR genotype and hemodynamic responses. Individuals with the s-allele displayed elevated conditioned bilateral amygdala activity in contrast to l/l-allele carriers. Further, increased hemodynamic responses in s-allele carriers were also found in the extended emotional network including the orbitofrontal cortex, the thalamus, and the ventral striatum. CONCLUSION: The present findings indicate an association of the 5-HTTLPR and altered conditioned responses in appetitive conditioning. Further, the findings contribute to the ongoing debate on 5-HTTLPR dependent hemodynamic response patterns by emphasizing that s-allele carriers are not exclusively biased towards fearful, but also towards positive stimuli. In conclusion, our results imply that s-allele carriers might be better described as hyper-reactive towards salient stimuli, which may convey vulnerability for the development of psychiatric disorders.
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Fear acquisition and extinction are crucial mechanisms in the etiology and maintenance of anxiety disorders. Moreover, they might play a pivotal role in conveying the influence of genetic and environmental factors on the development of a (more or less) stronger proneness for, or resilience against psychopathology. There are only few insights in the neurobiology of genetically and environmentally based individual differences in fear learning and extinction. In this functional magnetic resonance imaging study, 74 healthy subjects were investigated. These were invited according to 5-HTTLPR/rs25531 (S+ vs. L(A)L(A); triallelic classification) and TPH2 (G(-703)T) (T+ vs. T-) genotype. The aim was to investigate the influence of genetic factors and traumatic life events on skin conductance responses (SCRs) and neural responses (amygdala, insula, dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) and ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC)) during acquisition and extinction learning in a differential fear conditioning paradigm. Fear acquisition was characterized by stronger late conditioned and unconditioned responses in the right insula in 5-HTTLPR S-allele carriers. During extinction traumatic life events were associated with reduced amygdala activation in S-allele carriers vs. non-carriers. Beyond that, T-allele carriers of the TPH2 (G(-703)T) polymorphism with a higher number of traumatic life events showed enhanced responsiveness in the amygdala during acquisition and in the vmPFC during extinction learning compared with non-carriers. Finally, a combined effect of the two polymorphisms with higher responses in S- and T-allele carriers was found in the dACC during extinction. The results indicate an increased expression of conditioned, but also unconditioned fear responses in the insula in 5-HTTLPR S-allele carriers. A combined effect of the two polymorphisms on dACC activation during extinction might be associated with prolonged fear expression. Gene-by-environment interactions in amygdala and vmPFC activation may reflect a neural endophenotype translating genetic and adverse environmental influences into vulnerability for or resilience against developing affective psychopathology.
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Absorption represents a disposition to experience altered states of consciousness characterized by intensively focused attention. It is correlated with hypnotic susceptibility and includes phenomena ranging from vivid perceptions and imaginations to mystical experiences. Based on the assumption that drug-induced and naturally occurring mystical experiences share common neural mechanisms, we hypothesized that Absorption is influenced by the T102C polymorphism affecting the 5-HT2a receptor, which is known to be an important target site of hallucinogens like LSD. Based on the pivotal role ascribed to the prefrontal executive control network for absorbed attention and positive symptoms in schizophrenia, it was further hypothesized that Absorption is associated with the VAL158MET polymorphism of the catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) gene affecting the dopaminergic neurotransmitter system. The Tellegen Absorption Scale was administered to 336 subjects (95 male, 241 female). Statistical analysis revealed that the group with the T/T genotype of the T102C polymorphism, implying a stronger binding potential of the 5-HT2a receptor, indeed had significantly higher Absorption scores (F = 10.00, P = 0.002), while no main effect was found for the COMT polymorphism. However, the interaction between T102C and COMT genotypes yielded significance (F = 3.89; P = 0.049), underlining the known functional interaction between the 5-HT and the dopaminergic system. These findings point to biological foundations of the personality trait of Absorption.
Erkunden
Eintragsart
Sprache
- Englisch (3)
Thema
- Alleles
- 5-HTTLPR (1)
- Adult (3)
- amygdala (1)
- Amygdala/physiology (1)
- Appetitive Behavior/*physiology (1)
- Attention/*physiology (1)
- *Brain Mapping (1)
- Brain Mapping/methods (1)
- Brain/pathology/physiology (1)
- Catechol O-Methyltransferase/*genetics (1)
- Cerebral Cortex/physiology (1)
- *Cerebrovascular Circulation (1)
- classical conditioning (1)
- Conditioning, Operant/physiology (1)
- Conditioning, Psychological/physiology (1)
- Corpus Striatum/physiology (1)
- *Echo-Planar Imaging (1)
- Environment (1)
- Epistasis, Genetic (1)
- Erotica (1)
- Extinction, Psychological/physiology (1)
- *Fear (1)
- Female (3)
- fMRI (1)
- Frontal Lobe/physiology (1)
- Galvanic Skin Response (1)
- Gene Frequency (1)
- Genetic Predisposition to Disease (1)
- Genotype (3)
- Gyrus Cinguli/physiology (1)
- Hallucinations/genetics/*physiopathology (1)
- Hemodynamics (1)
- Humans (3)
- imaging genetics (1)
- *INDEL Mutation (1)
- Magnetic Resonance Imaging/methods (1)
- Male (3)
- Models, Genetic (1)
- Phenotype (1)
- *Polymorphism, Genetic (2)
- positive emotion (1)
- Receptor, Serotonin, 5-HT2A/*genetics (1)
- Schizophrenia/genetics/physiopathology (1)
- Serotonin/*metabolism (1)
- Serotonin Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins/genetics/*physiology (1)
- Sexual Behavior/*physiology (1)
- Skin/pathology (1)
- Thalamus/physiology (1)
- Wounds and Injuries (1)
- Young Adult (1)