title: Dopamine transporter gene may be associated with bipolar disorder and its personality traits.
abstract: Dopamine transporter and its genetic factors have been suggested to play a critical role in the development of bipolar disorder (BPD). However, the importance of the dopamine transporter gene (DAT1) in the pathogenesis of BPD remains unclear. The aims of this study were to assess 18 polymorphisms of the DAT1 gene to determine whether this gene is associated with BPD and whether it influences personality traits of patients with BPD. DAT1 polymorphisms were analyzed in 492 BPD (374 BPDI and 118 BPDII) patients and 436 controls. All participants were screened using the same assessment tool, and all met the criteria for BPD. The Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire was used to assess personality traits in both patients and controls. Several polymorphisms had a weak association with BPD, including rs2550948, rs2652511, and rs2975226 in allele distribution analysis (P < 0.05). Furthermore, the promoter G-A-C-G haplotype (rs6350-rs2975226-rs2652511-rs6413429) was over-represented in the BPD patients compared to the controls (P = 0.007). In personality assessment, the BPDII patients had the highest harm avoidance score, followed by the BPDI patients and controls (P = 3.7 × 10(-32)). In addition, a significant association between rs40184 and harm avoidance was found in the patients with BPD. The DAT1 promoter may be associated with vulnerabilities in BPD. The BPD patients had a higher rate of harm avoidance personality traits than the controls, and DAT1 variants may influence personality traits in patients with BPD.
authors.affiliation: Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Chang-Chih
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Ru-Band
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: Che-Hung
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Yen
authors.forename: Yi-Wei
authors.initials: YW
authors.lastname: Yeh
authors.forename: Han-Wei
authors.initials: HW
authors.lastname: Chou
authors.forename: Shin-Chang
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Kuo
authors.forename: Chun-Yen
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Chuan-Chia
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: Hsin-An
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: Pei-Shen
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Ho
authors.forename: Chih-Sung
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Liang
authors.forename: Serena
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.forename: Mei-Chen
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Shih
authors.forename: San-Yuan
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Huang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001714:Bipolar Disorder / Q000150:complications* / Q000235:genetics*; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D050483:Dopamine Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D056726:Genetic Association Studies; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D015810:Linkage Disequilibrium; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010554:Personality Disorders / Q000150:complications* / Q000235:genetics*; D010555:Personality Inventory; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide / Q000235:genetics*; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D013624:Taiwan; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D050483:Dopamine Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins; C493214:SLC6A3 protein, human