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. 2019 Feb;9(2):e01140.
doi: 10.1002/brb3.1140. Epub 2019 Jan 17.

Dysmorphic contribution of neurotransmitter and neuroendocrine system polymorphisms to subtherapeutic mood states

Irene Gonzalez  1 , Rocio Polvillo  1   2 , Maximiliano Ruiz-Galdon  1 , Armando Reyes-Engel  1 , Jose Luis Royo  1
Affiliations

Dysmorphic contribution of neurotransmitter and neuroendocrine system polymorphisms to subtherapeutic mood states

Irene Gonzalez et al. Brain Behav. 2019 Feb.

Abstract

Objective: From an evolutionary perspective, emotions emerged as rapid adaptive reactions that increase survival rates. Current psychobiology includes the consideration that genetic changes affecting neuroendocrine and neurotransmission pathways may also be affecting mood states. Following this hypothesis, abnormal levels of any of the aminergic neurotransmitters would be of considerable importance in the development of a pathophysiological state.

Materials and methods: A total of 668 students from the School of Medicine of the University of Malaga (Average = 22.41 ± 3; 41% men) provided self-report measures of mood states using POMS and GHQ-28 questionnaires and buccal cells for genotyping 19 polymorphisms from 14 selected neurotransmitter pathways genes (HTR1A; HTR2A; HTR2C; HTR3B; TPH1; SLC18A1; SLC18A2; COMT; MAOA; MAOB) and neuroendocrine system (AVPR1B; OPRM1; BDNF; OXTR).

Results: MAOA rs3788862 genotype correlates with decreasing levels of Tension among females (beta = -0.168, p-value = 0.003) but it is neutral among males in this subscale. On the contrary, it correlates with lower GHQ-28 depression scores among males (beta = -0.196, p-value = 0.008). Equivalently, SLC18A1 and HTR2A variants correlated with anger and vigor scores, only among males. From the neuroendocrine system, OPRM1 rs1799971 correlated increasing levels of female's Anxiety, depression and Social Dysfunction scores.

Conclusion: Our findings suggest that these polymorphisms contribute to define general population mood levels, although exhibiting a clear sexual dimorphism.

Keywords: BDNF; COMT; Goldberg; HTR2A; MAO; OPRM1; POMS; SLC18A1; mood state.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Representative Spider diagrams of the scores obtained from the POMS questionnaires. Panel a represents the average score for each subscale of the POMS questionnaire according to gender. Panel b represents the average scores for each of the three HTR2A rs6313 genotype. Panel c refers to MAOA rs3788862, and Panel d to SLC18A1 rs2270641
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