title: Dopamine transporter genotype influences N-acetyl-aspartate in the left putamen.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Dopaminergic activity in the brain is modulated by the dopamine transporter (DAT). Several lines of evidence suggest that a variable number of tandem repeats (VNTR) polymorphism of the DAT1 gene (SLC6A3) influences its gene expression. The aim of this study was to determine whether the DAT1VNTR polymorphism alters the metabolic ratios NAA/Cho, NAA/Cr, Cho/Cr and Ins/Cr in the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, anterior cingulate cortex, and putamen in healthy subjects and psychiatric patients irrespective of clinical diagnosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixty-four individuals (30 patients with bipolar disorder, 18 patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder, and 16 healthy subjects) participated in the study. The 3'-UTR VNTR polymorphism of DAT1 (SLC6A3) gene was genotyped in all individuals. (1)H-MRS was performed in the above-mentioned brain regions.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The individuals with the homozygous DAT1 10-repeat genotype presented significantly higher ratios of NAA/Cho and NAA/Cr in the left putamen compared to the group of individuals with the 9/9-repeat or 9/10-repeat genotype.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The VNTR polymorphism of the DAT1-gene modulates NAA/Cho and NAA/Cr in the left putamen independent of psychiatric diagnosis status. These results suggest an association of DAT1 VNTR polymorphism, dopaminergic activity, and neuronal function in putamen.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Georg-August-University Goettingen, Goettingen, Germany. hscherk@uni-goettingen.de
authors.forename: Harald
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Scherk
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Backens
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Schneider-Axmann
authors.forename: Susanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kraft
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kemmer
authors.forename: Juliana
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Usher
authors.forename: Wolfgang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Reith
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Falkai
authors.forename: Jobst
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Meyer
authors.forename: Oliver
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Gruber
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001224:Aspartic Acid / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000378:metabolism; D001714:Bipolar Disorder / Q000235:genetics*; D002794:Choline / Q000378:metabolism; D003401:Creatine / Q000378:metabolism; D004292:Dominance, Cerebral / Q000235:genetics*; D050483:Dopamine Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000378:metabolism; D005838:Genotype; D006179:Gyrus Cinguli / Q000378:metabolism; D006720:Homozygote; D006801:Humans; D007294:Inositol / Q000378:metabolism; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018598:Minisatellite Repeats / Q000235:genetics; D009474:Neurons / Q000378:metabolism; D009771:Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder / Q000235:genetics*; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000378:metabolism; D011699:Putamen / Q000378:metabolism*; D012016:Reference Values; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D050483:Dopamine Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins; C493214:SLC6A3 protein, human; D001224:Aspartic Acid; D007294:Inositol; C000179:N-acetylaspartate; D003401:Creatine; D002794:Choline