title: NACP-Rep1 relates to Beck Depression Inventory scores in healthy humans.
abstract: Alpha-synuclein (SNCA) is associated with a range of psychiatric diseases including neurodegeneration, alcohol craving, and depression. It regulates cellular homeostasis by virtue of its ability to interfere in dopaminergic, serotonergic, and noradrenergic pathways. To date, it is unclear whether the previously described association between SNCA and depressive symptomatology is limited to females with eating disorders or whether it could be extended to include healthy individuals. We included 105 women and 108 men. Genetic data and mRNA expression analyses were drawn from peripheral blood and the severity of depressive symptoms was quantified by the Beck's Depression Inventory (BDI). We found a significant association between the NACP-Rep1 length polymorphism and the BDI score (p = 0.004). Moreover, there was a significant gender dimorphism regarding mRNA expression of SNCA (p = 0.011). Our analysis revealed no further association between the In4 polymorphism or between the mRNA expression of SNCA and the BDI score. Since this investigation was limited to healthy individuals, conclusions concerning depression according to ICD-10 or DSM-IV cannot be drawn. The reported results may contribute to a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms linked to depressive symptoms.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Friedrich-Alexander-University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Schwabachanlage 6-10, 91054 Erlangen, Germany. bernd.lenz@uk-erlangen.de
authors.forename: Bernd
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Lenz
authors.forename: Christiane
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sysk
authors.forename: Norbert
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Thuerauf
authors.forename: Marion
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Clepce
authors.forename: Karin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Reich
authors.forename: Helge
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Frieling
authors.forename: Georg
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Winterer
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bleich
authors.forename: Johannes
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kornhuber
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D003863:Depression / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007438:Introns; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012091:Repetitive Sequences, Nucleic Acid; D055815:Young Adult; D051844:alpha-Synuclein / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D051844:alpha-Synuclein