A possible association between panic disorder and a polymorphism in the preproghrelingene.
The aim of the study was to investigate whether polymorphisms in the preproghrelin gene are associated with anxiety disorders, such as panic disorder, in humans. Panic disorder is a severe anxiety disorder, characterized by sudden attacks of intense fear or anxiety in combination with somatic symptoms. The preproghrelin gene codes for two gut-derived circulating peptides that have been linked to anxiety-like behaviour in rodents: ghrelin (an orexigenic, pro-obesity hormone) and obestatin. In the present study, we genotyped three missense mutations in the preproghrelin gene in 215 patients suffering from panic disorder and in 451 controls. The A allele of the rs4684677 polymorphism was significantly associated with panic disorder, while there were no significant associations with the two other polymorphisms studied. We conclude that the rs4684677 (Gln90Leu) polymorphism in the preproghrelin gene may be associated with increased risk of panic disorder. It will be important to confirm these findings in additional panic disorder patient groups.
Department of Physiology, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, The Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, SE-415 30 Gothenburg, Sweden. caroline.hansson@gu.se
Caroline
C
Hansson
Kristina
K
Annerbrink
Staffan
S
Nilsson
Jessica
J
Bah
Marie
M
Olsson
Christer
C
Allgulander
Sven
S
Andersch
Ingemar
I
Sjödin
Elias
E
Eriksson
Suzanne L
SL
Dickson
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D005787:Gene Frequency; D056726:Genetic Association Studies; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease / Q000235:genetics*; D005838:Genotype; D054439:Ghrelin / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020125:Mutation, Missense / Q000235:genetics; D016584:Panic Disorder / Q000235:genetics*; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide / Q000235:genetics*; D055815:Young Adult
D054439:Ghrelin; C505799:obestatin, human