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. 2020 Aug;32(4):218-225.
doi: 10.1017/neu.2020.14. Epub 2020 Mar 26.

Association between GLP-1 receptor gene polymorphisms with reward learning, anhedonia and depression diagnosis

Hale Yapici-Eser  1   2 , Vivek Appadurai  3   4 , Candan Yasemin Eren  2 , Dilek Yazici  1 , Chia-Yen Chen  5   6 , Dost Öngür  6   7 , Diego A Pizzagalli  6   8 , Thomas Werge  3   4   9 , Mei-Hua Hall  6   7   10
Affiliations

Association between GLP-1 receptor gene polymorphisms with reward learning, anhedonia and depression diagnosis

Hale Yapici-Eser et al. Acta Neuropsychiatr. 2020 Aug.

Abstract

Background: Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptors (GLP-1Rs) are widely expressed in the brain. Evidence suggests that they may play a role in reward responses and neuroprotection. However, the association of GLP-1R with anhedonia and depression diagnosis has not been studied. Here, we examined the association of GLP-1R polymorphisms with objective and subjective measures of anhedonia, as well as depression diagnosis.

Methods: Objective [response bias assessed by the probabilistic reward task (PRT)] and subjective [Snaith-Hamilton Pleasure Scale (SHAPS)] measures of anhedonia, clinical variables and DNA samples were collected from 100 controls and 164 patients at McLean Hospital. An independent sample genotyped as part of the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium (PGC) was used to study the effect of putative GLP-1R polymorphisms linked to response bias in PRT on depression diagnosis.

Results: The C allele in rs1042044 was significantly associated with increased PRT response bias, when controlling for age, sex, case-control status and PRT discriminability. AA genotype of rs1042044 showed higher anhedonia phenotype based on SHAPS scores. However, analysis of PGC major depressive disorder data showed no association between rs1042044 and depression diagnosis.

Conclusion: Findings suggest a possible association of rs1042044 with anhedonia but no association with depression diagnosis.

Keywords: GLP-1; anhedonia; depression; polymorphism; reward.

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Conflict of interest statement

Statement of interest

Over the past three years, DAP has received consulting fees from Blackthorn Therapeutics, Boehringer Ingelheim, Compass, Takeda and an honorarium from Alkermes for activities unrelated to the current research. Dr. Pizzagalli has a financial interest in BlackThorn Therapeutics, which has licensed the copyright to the Probabilistic Reward Task through Harvard University. Dr. Pizzagalli’s interests were reviewed and are managed by McLean Hospital and Partners HealthCare in accordance with their conflict of interest policies. DO served on a scientific advisory board for Neurocrine Inc on 12/2016.

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