title: A functional polymorphism of the MAOA gene modulates spontaneous brain activity in pons.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the effects of a functional polymorphism of the monoamine oxidase A (MAOA) gene on spontaneous brain activity in healthy male adolescents.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty-one healthy male adolescents with the low-activity MAOA genotype (MAOA-L) and 25 healthy male adolescents with the high-activity MAOA genotype (MAOA-H) completed the 11-item Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS-11) questionnaire and were subjected to resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) scans. The amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF) of the blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) signal was calculated using REST software. ALFF data were related to BIS scores and compared between genotype groups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Compared with the MAOA-H group, the MAOA-L group showed significantly lower ALFFs in the pons. There was a significant correlation between the BIS scores and the ALFF values in the pons for MAOA-L group, but not for the MAOA-H group. Further regression analysis showed a significant genotype by ALFF values interaction effect on BIS scores.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Lower spontaneous brain activity in the pons of the MAOA-L male adolescents may provide a neural mechanism by which boys with the MAOA-L genotype confers risk for impulsivity and aggression.
authors: The Medical Psychological Institute of the Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410011, China.
authors: Hui
authors: H
authors: Lei
authors: The Medical Psychological Institute of the Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410011, China.
authors: Xiaocui
authors: X
authors: Zhang
authors: Department of Biomedical Engineering, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, NJ 07102, USA.
authors: Xin
authors: X
authors: Di
authors: Center for Functional Neuroimaging, Department of Neurology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA ; Department of Psychology, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510275, China.
authors: Hengyi
authors: H
authors: Rao
authors: The Medical Psychological Institute of the Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410011, China.
authors: Qingsen
authors: Q
authors: Ming
authors: The Medical Psychological Institute of the Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410011, China.
authors: Jibiao
authors: J
authors: Zhang
authors: The Medical Psychological Institute of the Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410011, China.
authors: Xiao
authors: X
authors: Guo
authors: The Medical Psychological Institute of the Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410011, China.
authors: Yali
authors: Y
authors: Jiang
authors: The Medical Psychological Institute of the Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410011, China.
authors: Yidian
authors: Y
authors: Gao
authors: The Medical Psychological Institute of the Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410011, China.
authors: Jinyao
authors: J
authors: Yi
authors: The Medical Psychological Institute of the Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410011, China.
authors: Xiongzhao
authors: X
authors: Zhu
authors: The Medical Psychological Institute of the Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410011, China.
authors: Shuqiao
authors: S
authors: Yao
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000374:Aggression; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008995:Monoamine Oxidase / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D011149:Pons / Q000503:physiopathology
chemical_list: D008995:Monoamine Oxidase; C579458:monoamine oxidase A, human