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Salinas V, Villarroel J, Silva H, Herrera L, Jerez S, Zazueta A, Montes C, Nieto R, Bustamante ML. SERT and BDNF polymorphisms interplay on neuroticism in borderline personality disorder. BMC Res Notes 2020; 13:61. [PMID: 32033618 PMCID: PMC7006183 DOI: 10.1186/s13104-020-4924-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2019] [Accepted: 01/28/2020] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Objective Genetic factors underlying different personality traits are not entirely understood, particularly how genes interact to modulate their effect. We studied 76 patients diagnosed with borderline personality disorder (BPD), characterized by extreme levels of personality traits, especially neuroticism (N), in which we genotyped two polymorphisms, the 5HTTLPR of the Serotonin transporter (SERT) gene, and the Val66Met of the Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) gene. Results We found an association with SERT, where S-allele carriers had significantly higher levels of N than L-homozygous. Furthermore, we found that the protective effect of L-homozygosity is only evident on A-allele carriers of the BDNF Val66Met polymorphism. Genetic constitution in SERT and BDNF seems to be important in neuroticism, the most relevant personality trait on BPD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valeria Salinas
- Neurogenetics Clinic and Laboratory, University Neurology Center and Neurology Section, J.M. Ramos Mejía, Hospital, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina.,Precision Medicine and Clinical Genomics Program, Translational Medicine Research Institute, Faculty of Biomedical Sciences, Universidad Austral-CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Juana Villarroel
- University Psychiatric Clinic, Clinical Hospital, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile.,Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, North Division, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad de Chile, Av. La Paz 1003, Recoleta, Santiago, Chile
| | - Hernán Silva
- University Psychiatric Clinic, Clinical Hospital, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile.,Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, North Division, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad de Chile, Av. La Paz 1003, Recoleta, Santiago, Chile
| | - Luisa Herrera
- Human Genetics Program, Biomedical Sciences Institute, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Sonia Jerez
- University Psychiatric Clinic, Clinical Hospital, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile.,Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, North Division, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad de Chile, Av. La Paz 1003, Recoleta, Santiago, Chile
| | - Alejandra Zazueta
- Program in Sciences and Engineering for Health, Universidad de Valparaíso, Valparaíso, Chile
| | - Cristián Montes
- University Psychiatric Clinic, Clinical Hospital, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile.,Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, North Division, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad de Chile, Av. La Paz 1003, Recoleta, Santiago, Chile
| | - Rodrigo Nieto
- University Psychiatric Clinic, Clinical Hospital, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile.,Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, North Division, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad de Chile, Av. La Paz 1003, Recoleta, Santiago, Chile.,Department of Neuroscience, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - M Leonor Bustamante
- Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, North Division, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad de Chile, Av. La Paz 1003, Recoleta, Santiago, Chile. .,Human Genetics Program, Biomedical Sciences Institute, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile.
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Loewenstern J, You X, Merchant J, Gordon EM, Stollstorff M, Devaney J, Vaidya CJ. Interactive effect of 5-HTTLPR and BDNF polymorphisms on amygdala intrinsic functional connectivity and anxiety. Psychiatry Res Neuroimaging 2019; 285:1-8. [PMID: 30711709 PMCID: PMC6699775 DOI: 10.1016/j.pscychresns.2019.01.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2018] [Revised: 01/28/2019] [Accepted: 01/28/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
The serotonin transporter (5-HTTLPR) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) gene polymorphisms have been associated with risk for affective disorders and functional variability of the amygdala. We examined whether the two genotypes interactively influence intrinsic functional connectivity (FC) of the amygdala and whether FC mediates the genetic association with anxiety. Eighty genotyped healthy adults underwent resting state fMRI and completed the self-reported State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. Interactive genetic association with anxiety was observed such that effects of 5-HTTLPR depended on the BDNF Val66Met polymorphism (rs6265 variant), with higher anxiety scores in short and Met carriers compared to the other allelic groups. Voxel-wise FC with left and right amygdala seeds identified regions that were sensitive to variability in anxiety scores. A significant moderated mediation model demonstrated that the effect of 5-HTTLPR genotype on anxiety, moderated by BDNF Val66Met genotype, was fully mediated by FC between the left amygdala and the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, a cognitive control-related region, during a task-free state. FC was highest in carriers of the 5-HTTLPR short allele and BDNF Met allele. These findings establish intrinsic amygdala-prefrontal functional connectivity as a potential intermediate phenotype for anxiety, an important step toward identification of causal pathways for vulnerability to affective disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua Loewenstern
- Department of Psychology, Georgetown University, 306 White-Gravenor, Washington, DC 20057, United States
| | - Xiaozhen You
- Department of Psychology, Georgetown University, 306 White-Gravenor, Washington, DC 20057, United States; Children's Research Institute, Children's National Medical Center, Washington, DC, United States
| | - Junaid Merchant
- Department of Psychology, Georgetown University, 306 White-Gravenor, Washington, DC 20057, United States
| | - Evan M Gordon
- VISN 17 Center of Excellence for Research on Returning War Veterans, Waco, TX, United States; Center for Vital Longevity, University of Texas at Dallas, Dallas, TX, United States
| | - Melanie Stollstorff
- Department of Psychology, Florida International University, Miami, FL, United States
| | - Joseph Devaney
- Children's Research Institute, Children's National Medical Center, Washington, DC, United States
| | - Chandan J Vaidya
- Department of Psychology, Georgetown University, 306 White-Gravenor, Washington, DC 20057, United States; Children's Research Institute, Children's National Medical Center, Washington, DC, United States.
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Fernàndez-Castillo N, Cormand B. Aggressive behavior in humans: Genes and pathways identified through association studies. Am J Med Genet B Neuropsychiatr Genet 2016; 171:676-96. [PMID: 26773414 DOI: 10.1002/ajmg.b.32419] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2015] [Accepted: 01/04/2016] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Aggressive behavior has both genetic and environmental components. Many association studies have been performed to identify genetic factors underlying aggressive behaviors in humans. In this review we summarize the previous work performed in this field, considering both candidate gene (CGAS) and genome-wide association studies (GWAS), excluding those performed in samples where the primary diagnosis is a psychiatric or neurological disorder other than an aggression-related phenotype. Subsequently, we have studied the enrichment of pathways and functions in GWAS data. The results of our searches show that most CGAS have identified associations with genes involved in dopaminergic and serotonergic neurotransmission and in hormone regulation. On the other hand, GWAS have not yet identified genome-wide significant associations, but top nominal findings are related to several signaling pathways, such as axon guidance or estrogen receptor signaling, and also to neurodevelopmental processes and synaptic plasticity. Future studies should use larger samples, homogeneous phenotypes and standardized measurements to identify genes that underlie aggressive behaviors in humans. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noèlia Fernàndez-Castillo
- Departament de Genètica, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.,Institut de Biomedicina de la Universitat de Barcelona (IBUB), Catalonia, Spain.,Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Raras (CIBERER), Spain
| | - Bru Cormand
- Departament de Genètica, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.,Institut de Biomedicina de la Universitat de Barcelona (IBUB), Catalonia, Spain.,Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Raras (CIBERER), Spain
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Veroude K, Zhang-James Y, Fernàndez-Castillo N, Bakker MJ, Cormand B, Faraone SV. Genetics of aggressive behavior: An overview. Am J Med Genet B Neuropsychiatr Genet 2016; 171B:3-43. [PMID: 26345359 DOI: 10.1002/ajmg.b.32364] [Citation(s) in RCA: 87] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2015] [Accepted: 08/05/2015] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
The Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) address three types of aggression: frustrative non-reward, defensive aggression and offensive/proactive aggression. This review sought to present the evidence for genetic underpinnings of aggression and to determine to what degree prior studies have examined phenotypes that fit into the RDoC framework. Although the constructs of defensive and offensive aggression have been widely used in the animal genetics literature, the human literature is mostly agnostic with regard to all the RDoC constructs. We know from twin studies that about half the variance in behavior may be explained by genetic risk factors. This is true for both dimensional, trait-like, measures of aggression and categorical definitions of psychopathology. The non-shared environment seems to have a moderate influence with the effects of shared environment being unclear. Human molecular genetic studies of aggression are in an early stage. The most promising candidates are in the dopaminergic and serotonergic systems along with hormonal regulators. Genome-wide association studies have not yet achieved genome-wide significance, but current samples are too small to detect variants having the small effects one would expect for a complex disorder. The strongest molecular evidence for a genetic basis for aggression comes from animal models comparing aggressive and non-aggressive strains or documenting the effects of gene knockouts. Although we have learned much from these prior studies, future studies should improve the measurement of aggression by using a systematic method of measurement such as that proposed by the RDoC initiative.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kim Veroude
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboudumc, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Yanli Zhang-James
- Departments of Psychiatry and of Neuroscience and Physiology, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, New York.,Departments of Neuroscience and Physiology, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, New York
| | - Noèlia Fernàndez-Castillo
- Departament de Genètica, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.,Institut de Biomedicina de la Universitat de Barcelona (IBUB), Catalonia, Spain.,Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Raras (CIBERER), Spain
| | - Mireille J Bakker
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboudumc, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Bru Cormand
- Departament de Genètica, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.,Institut de Biomedicina de la Universitat de Barcelona (IBUB), Catalonia, Spain.,Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Raras (CIBERER), Spain
| | - Stephen V Faraone
- Departments of Psychiatry and of Neuroscience and Physiology, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, New York.,Departments of Neuroscience and Physiology, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, New York.,K.G. Jebsen Centre for Research on Neuropsychiatric Disorders, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
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Fisher PM, Holst KK, Adamsen D, Klein AB, Frokjaer VG, Jensen PS, Svarer C, Gillings N, Baare WFC, Mikkelsen JD, Knudsen GM. BDNF Val66met and 5-HTTLPR polymorphisms predict a human in vivo marker for brain serotonin levels. Hum Brain Mapp 2014; 36:313-23. [PMID: 25220079 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.22630] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2014] [Revised: 07/29/2014] [Accepted: 08/29/2014] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) has been implicated in multiple aspects of brain function including regulation of serotonin signaling. The BDNF val66met polymorphism (rs6265) has been linked to aspects of serotonin signaling in humans but its effects are not well understood. To address this, we evaluated whether BDNF val66met was predictive of a putative marker of brain serotonin levels, serotonin 4 receptor (5-HT4 ) binding assessed with [11C]SB207145 positron emission tomography, which has also been associated with the serotonin-transporter-linked polymorphic region (5-HTTLPR) polymorphism. We applied a linear latent variable model (LVM) using regional 5-HT4 binding values (neocortex, amygdala, caudate, hippocampus, and putamen) from 68 healthy humans, allowing us to explicitly model brain-wide and region-specific genotype effects on 5-HT4 binding. Our data supported an LVM wherein BDNF val66met significantly predicted a LV reflecting [11C]SB207145 binding across regions (P = 0.005). BDNF val66met met-carriers showed 2-9% higher binding relative to val/val homozygotes. In contrast, 5-HTTLPR did not predict the LV but S-carriers showed 7% lower neocortical binding relative to LL homozygotes (P = 7.3 × 10(-6)). We observed no evidence for genetic interaction. Our findings indicate that BDNF val66met significantly predicts a common regulator of brain [11C]SB207145 binding, which we hypothesize reflects brain serotonin levels. In contrast, our data indicate that 5-HTTLPR specifically affects 5-HT4 binding in the neocortex. These findings implicate serotonin signaling as an important molecular mediator underlying the effects of BDNF val66met and 5-HTTLPR on behavior and related risk for neuropsychiatric illness in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick M Fisher
- Center for Integrated Molecular Brain Imaging, Copenhagen University Hospital Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen O, Denmark; Neurobiology Research Unit, Copenhagen University Hospital Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen O, Denmark
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