title: A functional polymorphism of the GTP cyclohydrolase 1 gene predicts attention performance.
abstract: Guanosine triphosphate cyclohydrolase 1 (GCH1) is the rate-limiting enzyme for the biosynthesis of tetrahydrobiopterin, a cofactor for aromatic amino acid hydroxylases and nitric oxide synthases. As monoamine neurotransmitters are synthesized by the reactions catalyzed by tyrosine hydroxylase and tryptophan hydroxylase, alterations in the content of tetrahydrobiopterin affect the monoamine levels in the brain. Here, we examined the possible association of a functional single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) of the GCH1 gene, rs841 (C+243T), with attentional function as assessed by the Continuous Performance Test-Identical Pairs version (CPT-IP) in healthy individuals. We found that homozygous T/T genotype carriers of rs841 scored lower performance on the CPT-IP test. Our data suggest that alterations in GCH1 activity affect attentional function, especially sustained attention and vigilance.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan.
authors.forename: Yuka
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yasuda
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan; Molecular Research Center for Children's Mental Development, United Graduate School of Child Development, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka, Japan. Electronic address: hashimor@psy.med.osaka-u.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Ryota
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hashimoto
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan.
authors.forename: Kazutaka
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ohi
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan; Department of Molecular Neuropsychiatry, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Suita, Osaka, Japan.
authors.forename: Hidenaga
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yamamori
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan.
authors.forename: Michiko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fujimoto
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Neuropsychiatry, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Suita, Osaka, Japan.
authors.forename: Satomi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Umeda-Yano
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Human Sciences, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan.
authors.forename: Haruo
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Fujino
authors.affiliation: Biofunctional Imaging, Immunology Frontier Research Center, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan.
authors.forename: Masaki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fukunaga
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Bioscience and Biotechonology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokohama, 226-8501, Japan; Department of Domestic Science, Otsuma Women's University Junior College Division, Tokyo, 102-8357, Japan.
authors.forename: Mieko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Horiguchi
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan.
authors.forename: Masatoshi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Takeda
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Bioscience and Biotechonology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokohama, 226-8501, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ichinose
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001288:Attention; D003071:Cognition; D005260:Female; D006136:GTP Cyclohydrolase / Q000235:genetics*; D056726:Genetic Association Studies; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D006136:GTP Cyclohydrolase
keywords: Attention/vigilance; Continuous performance test; GTP cyclohydrolase 1; SNP; Tetrahydrobiopterin