Unraveling the contribution of serotonergic polymorphisms, prefrontal alpha asymmetry, and individual alpha peak frequency to the emotion-related impulsivity endophenotype
Publication date
2022-07-19
Document type
Forschungsartikel
Author
Javelle, Florian
Bloch, Wilhelm
Johnson, Sheri L.
Schenk, Alexander
Zimmer, Philipp
Organisational unit
ISSN
Series or journal
Molecular Neurobiology
Periodical volume
59
Periodical issue
10
First page
6062
Last page
6075
Peer-reviewed
✅
Part of the university bibliography
✅
Keyword
5-HTTLPR
MAO-A
STin2
Emotion-related impulsivity
Individual alpha peak frequency
Alpha asymmetry
Abstract
The unique contribution of the serotonin transporter-linked polymorphic region (5-HTTLPR), intronic region 2 (STin2), and monoamine oxidase A (MAO-A) genes to individual differences in personality traits has been widely explored, and research has shown that certain forms of these polymorphisms relate to impulsivity and impulsivity-related disorders. Humans showing these traits are also described as having an asymmetrical prefrontal cortical activity when compared to others. In this explorative study, we examine the relationship between serotonergic neurotransmission polymorphisms, cortical activity features (prefrontal alpha asymmetry, individual alpha peak frequency [iAPF]), emotion-related and non-emotion-related impulsivity in humans. 5-HTTLPR, MAO-A, and STin2 polymorphisms were assessed in blood taken from 91 participants with high emotion-related impulsivity levels. Sixty-seven participants completed resting electroencephalography and a more comprehensive impulsivity index. In univariate analyses, iAPF correlated with both forms of emotion-related impulsivity. In multiple linear regression models, 5-HTTLPR polymorphism (model 1, adj. R 2 = 15.2%) and iAPF were significant interacting predictors of emotion-related impulsivity, explaining a large share of the results’ variance (model 2, adj. R 2 = 21.2%). Carriers of the low transcriptional activity 5-HTTPLR and MAO-A phenotypes obtained higher emotion-related impulsivity scores than others did. No significant results were detected for non-emotion-related impulsivity or for a form of emotion-related impulsivity involving cognitive/motivational reactivity to emotion. Our findings support an endophenotypic approach to impulsivity, showing that tri-allelic 5-HTTLPR polymorphism, iAPF, and their interaction are relevant predictors of one form of emotion-related impulsivity.
Description
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Version
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