Association between a functional polymorphism on the dopamine-beta-hydroxylase gene and reward dependence in two independent samples

作者：Plieger T^*; Felten A; Melchers M; Markett S; Montag C; Reuter M

来源：Personality and Individual Differences, 2018, 121: 218-222.

DOI：10.1016/j.paid.2017.05.050

• Biosocial personality theory
• Reward dependence
• Dopamine
• DBH
• rs1611115

Cloninger's biosocial personality theory postulates a biological basis for the basic temperaments. With respect to reward dependence (RD) characterized by a tendency to sustain rewarding behaviors and to prefer behaviors previously associated with reward, he hypothesized low noradrenaline (NA) levels. Previous endocrine and genetic association studies have supported this hypothesis. The aim of the present study was to test for an association between the functional single nucleotide polymorphism rs1611115 (C-970T) on the dopamine-p-hydroxylase (DBH) gene and RD. DBH is an enzyme crucial for the synthesis of NA by catalyzing the oxidative hydroxylation of dopamine to NA.
In two independent samples (N = 1144 and N = 826) of healthy participants we found significant genotype effects (p <= 0.0001 and p <= 0.05). Carriers of the C allele had significant higher RD scores than carriers homozygous for the T allele.
Although the general RD-NA hypothesis was corroborated, the directionality of the observed effect was antithetical. Based on previous functionality studies reporting low enzymatic activity related to the TT genotype, present results indicate high NA levels in subjects scoring high on RD (in contrast to Cloninger's thesis). Future studies have to analyze how DBH activity and NA levels are dependent on the availability of dopamine.

• 出版日期2018-1-15
• 单位电子科技大学