MAOA‐VNTR genotype affects structural and functional connectivity in distributed brain networks
Year: 2019
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Previous studies have linked the low expression variant of a variable number of tandem repeat polymorphism in the monoamine oxidase A gene (MAOA‐L) to the risk for impulsivity and aggression, brain developmental abnormalities, altered cortico‐limbic circuit function, and an exaggerated neural serotonergic tone. However, the neurobiological effects of this variant on human brain network architecture are incompletely understood. We studied healthy individuals and used multimodal neuroimaging (sample size range: 219–284 across modalities) and network‐based statistics (NBS) to probe the specificity of MAOA‐L‐related connectomic alterations to cortical‐limbic circuits and the emotion processing domain. We assessed the spatial distribution of affected links across several neuroimaging tasks and data modalities to identify potential alterations in network architecture. Our results revealed a distributed network of node links with a significantly increased connectivity in MAOA‐L carriers compared to the carriers of the high expression (H) variant. The hyperconnectivity phenotype primarily consisted of between‐lobe (“anisocoupled”) network links and showed a pronounced involvement of frontal‐temporal connections. Hyperconnectivity was observed across functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) of implicit emotion processing (pFWE = .037), resting‐state fMRI (pFWE = .022), and diffusion tensor imaging (pFWE = .044) data, while no effects were seen in fMRI data of another cognitive domain, that is, spatial working memory (pFWE = .540). These observations are in line with prior research on the MAOA‐L variant and complement these existing data by novel insights into the specificity and spatial distribution of the neurogenetic effects. Our work highlights the value of multimodal network connectomic approaches for imaging genetics.
Source: Human Brain Mapping
DOI: 10.1002/hbm.24766
Authors: Anais Harneit, Urs Braun, Lena S. Geiger, Zhenxiang Zang, Marina Hakobjan, Marjolein M. J. van Donkelaar, Janina I. Schweiger, Kristina Schwarz, Gabriela Gan, Susanne Erk, Andreas Heinz, Nina Romanczuk‐Seiferth, Stephanie Witt, Marcella Rietschel, Henrik Walter, Barbara Franke, Andreas Meyer‐Lindenberg, Heike Tost
Institutions: Heidelberg University, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medizinische Fakultät Mannheim, Radboud University Nijmegen, Radboud University Medical Center, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin
Language: English
Subfield: Cognitive Neuroscience
Field: Neuroscience
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $4,250
Awards: G1196331239, G1547223429, NeuroLabNL: Optimale condities voor leren en veiligheid van jongeren, G1644645851, G1671364559, G2185557589, G2354344636, RELATER - Verbesserung der Kommunikation bei der psychiatrischen Versorgung von geflüchteten Menschen - klinische Validierung, G2727872643, G2861369480, G2902570791, G2920444114, IMAging GEnetics for MENtal Disorders, G3207356259, G3210589270, Verbundprojekt: Bernstein Zentrum für Computational Neuroscience, Heidelberg/Mannheim - 'Von den Genen zum Verhalten - Einfluss genetischer Variation auf neuronale Informationsverarbeitung bei psychischen Störungen' - Teilprojekt A3, B4, B5, B6, C3, C5, C6, C7, C8, D1, D2 und Zentralprojekt, G393177772, Verbundprojekt: IntegraMent, TP 2a, 4a, 5b, 10, G3986097662, G4077594854, G408622963, G4240828829, G434337789, G4406419128, G4417285718, Verbundprojekt: Molekulare Ursachen von Affektiven Störungen und Schizophrenie 'MOODS' -TP 5,6, G4516979606, European Autism Interventions - A Multicentre Study for Developing New Medications, G4623897141, G4760961572, G4877079306, Multimodale Bildgebung fronto-striataler Plastizität im menschlichen Gehirn, Verbundprojekt: IntegraMent: Integrierte Untersuchungen von Ursachen und Mechanismen psychiatrischer Störungen, Teilprojekte TP2, 4, 5 und 10, G5414291753, Effects of Nutrition and Lifestyle on Impulsive, Compulsive, and Externalizing behaviours, G5702163051, Comorbid Conditions of Attention deficit / hyperactivity disorder, G619784278, G7251221319, G7373720468, G7388260424, G7450244311, G7732690438, Novel Methods leading to New Medications in Depression and Schizophrenia, G8042824225, G8079981452, European Network of National Schizophrenia Networks Studying Gene-Environment Interactions, G8374503010, G8516251854, Aggression subtyping for improved insight and treatment innovation in psychiatric disorders, G860014056, G872823698, G8807611958
OpenAlex ID: W2969884592