Long story short: the serotonin transporter in emotion regulation and social cognition.
The gene encoding the serotonin transporter (5-HTT) contains a regulatory variation that has been associated with anxiety-related traits and susceptibility for depression. Here we highlight recent discoveries related to allelic variation of 5-HTT function with respect to emotion regulation and social behavior, drawing from an interdisciplinary perspective of behavioral genetics and cognitive neuroscience. Following a reductionistic path that leads from gene-behavior association studies to neuroimaging and epigenetic studies, we compare two models of 5-HTT-dependent modulation of brain activity and discuss the role of life stress experience in modifying 5-HTT function in the brain. Integration of these findings suggests that the impact of the 5-HTT gene on behavior is much broader than is commonly appreciated and may have a role in social cognition.
Canli
Turhan
T
Graduate Program in Genetics, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York 11794-2500, USA. turhan.canli@sunysb.edu
Lesch
Klaus-Peter
KP
D000679:Amygdala / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D004644:Emotions / Q000502:physiology*; D004777:Environment; D006801:Humans; D008954:Models, Biological; D050486:Serotonin Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D012919:Social Behavior
D050486:Serotonin Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins