title: Allelic variation of serotonin transporter function modulates the brain electrical response for error processing.
abstract: A functional length variation in the transcriptional control region of the serotonin transporter gene (5-HTTLPR) influences brain function, personality traits, and susceptibility to psychiatric disorders. Here we measured prefrontal brain function by means of event-related potentials during an error processing paradigm. Physiologically, occurrence of an error elicits two specific electrical responses in the prefrontal cortex, the early error related negativity (Ne/ERN) and the later occurring error positivity (Pe), reflecting different components of error processing. Healthy subjects with one or two copies of the low-activity 5-HTTLPR short variant showed significantly higher amplitudes of the Ne/ERN and a trend to higher amplitudes of the Pe as compared to age- and gender-matched individuals homozygous for the long allele. Performance measures and latencies of these ERP-components did not differ between groups. These results indicate that the 5-HTTLPR short variant is associated with enhanced responsiveness of the brain and further supports the notion that prefrontal brain function is influenced by allelic variation in serotonin transporter function.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Wuerzburg, Germany. Fallgatter_A@Klinik.uni-wuerzburg.de
authors.forename: Andreas J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Fallgatter
authors.forename: Martin J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Herrmann
authors.forename: Josefine
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Roemmler
authors.forename: Ann-Christine
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Ehlis
authors.forename: Annika
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wagener
authors.forename: Anke
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Heidrich
authors.forename: Gabriele
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ortega
authors.forename: Yong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zeng
authors.forename: Klaus-Peter
authors.initials: KP
authors.lastname: Lesch
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000483:Alleles; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology*; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology*; D004569:Electroencephalography; D004594:Electrophysiology; D005071:Evoked Potentials / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006579:Heterozygote; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology*; D026901:Membrane Transport Proteins; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology*; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000502:physiology; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology*; D011932:Reading; D050486:Serotonin Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins
chemical_list: D002352:Carrier Proteins; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; D026901:Membrane Transport Proteins; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; C493230:SLC6A4 protein, human; D050486:Serotonin Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins