title: Monoamine oxidase-a genetic variations influence brain activity associated with inhibitory control: new insight into the neural correlates of impulsivity.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Previous evidence has shown that genetic variations in the serotonergic system contribute to individual differences in personality traits germane to impulse control. The monoamine oxidase-A (MAO-A) gene, coding for an enzyme primarily involved in serotonin and noradrenaline catabolism, presents a well-characterized functional polymorphism consisting of a variable number of tandem repeats in the promoter region, with high-activity and low-activity variants. High-activity allele carriers have higher enzyme expression, lower amine concentration, and present higher scores on behavioral measures of impulsivity than low-activity allele carriers.
  
  
  METHODS
  We studied the relationship of this polymorphism to brain activity elicited by a response inhibition task (Go/NoGo task), using blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) functional magnetic resonance imaging in 24 healthy men.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Direct comparison between groups revealed a greater BOLD response in the right ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (Brodmann's area [BA] 45/47) in high-activity allele carriers, whereas a greater response in the right superior parietal cortex (BA 7) and bilateral extrastriate cortex (BA 18) was found in low-activity allele carriers.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These data suggest that a specific genetic variation involving serotonergic catabolism can modulate BOLD response associated with human impulsivity.
authors.affiliation: Neurology Unit, Department of Neurosciences, University Politecnica delle Marche, Ancona, Italy.
authors.forename: Luca
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Passamonti
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Fera
authors.forename: Angela
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Magariello
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cerasa
authors.forename: Maria Cecilia
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Gioia
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Muglia
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Nicoletti
authors.forename: Olivier
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Gallo
authors.forename: Leandro
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Provinciali
authors.forename: Aldo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Quattrone
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000483:Alleles; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology*; D001931:Brain Mapping; D004247:DNA / Q000235:genetics; D014644:Genetic Variation; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D007175:Impulsive Behavior / Q000235:genetics* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D018598:Minisatellite Repeats; D008995:Monoamine Oxidase / Q000235:genetics*; D010100:Oxygen / Q000097:blood; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic / Q000235:genetics; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000503:physiopathology; D014793:Visual Cortex / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D004247:DNA; D008995:Monoamine Oxidase; D010100:Oxygen