Relationships among 5-HTT genotype, life events and gender in the recognition of facial emotions.
Accumulating evidence has shown that a polymorphism in the promoter region of the serotonin-transporter (5-HTTLPR) modulates neural activation during the perceptual processing of emotional facial expressions. Furthermore, behavioral research has shown that attentional bias for negative information is increased in s allele carriers. We examined the interactions among 5-HTTLPR (including SNP rs25531), life events and gender on the detection of facial emotions. We found a main effect of genotype, as well as moderating effects of childhood emotional abuse (CEA) and recent life events (RLE). S homozygous participants recognized negative facial expressions at a lower intensity than the other genotype groups. This effect was more evident in female participants and in participants who had experienced life events. The 5-HTTLPR genotype affects facial emotional perception, a process which is linked to a neurobiological response to threat and vulnerability to emotional disorders.
Institute of Psychology, Leiden University, The Netherlands. nantypa@fsw.leidenuniv.nl
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Van der Does
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D054523:Adult Survivors of Child Abuse / Q000523:psychology; D004644:Emotions / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease / Q000235:genetics; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019964:Mood Disorders / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000523:psychology; D010468:Perceptual Disorders / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology; D050486:Serotonin Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D012737:Sex Factors; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000523:psychology; D055815:Young Adult
D050486:Serotonin Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins