title: Association between polymorphisms in NOS3 and KCNH2 and social memory.
abstract: Social memory, including the ability to recognize faces and voices, is essential for social relationships. It has a large heritable component, but the knowledge about the contributing genes is sparse. The genetic variation underlying inter-individual differences in social memory was investigated in an exploratory sample (n = 55), genotyped with a chip comprising approximately 200,000 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), and in a validation sample (n = 582), where 30 SNPs were targeted. In the exploratory study face identity recognition was measured. The validation study also measured vocal sound recognition, as well as recognition of faces and vocal sounds combined (multimodal condition). In the exploratory study, the 30 SNPs that were associated with face recognition at p uncorrected < 0.001 and located in genes, were chosen for further study. In the validation study two of these SNPs showed significant associations with recognition of faces, vocal sounds, and multimodal stimuli: rs1800779 in the gene encoding nitric oxide synthase 3 (NOS3) and rs3807370 in the gene encoding the voltage-gated channel, subfamily H, member 2 (KCNH2), in strong linkage disequilibrium with each other. The uncommon alleles were associated with superior performance, and the effects were present for men only (p < 0.0002). The exploratory study also showed a weaker but significant association with (non-emotional) word recognition, an effect that was independent of the effect on face recognition. This study demonstrates evidence for an association between NOS3 and KCNH2 SNPs and social memory.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology at the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg Gothenburg, Sweden.
authors.forename: Susanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Henningsson
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology at the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg Gothenburg, Sweden ; Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology at the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg Gothenburg, Sweden.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zettergren
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology at the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg Gothenburg, Sweden.
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hovey
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology at the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg Gothenburg, Sweden.
authors.forename: Lina
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Jonsson
authors.affiliation: Aging Research Center, Karolinska Institute Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Joakim
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Svärd
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Stockholm University Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Diana S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Cortes
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology at the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg Gothenburg, Sweden.
authors.forename: Jonas
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Melke
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Florida Gainesville, FL, USA ; Department of Aging and Geriatric Research, University of Florida Gainesville, FL, USA.
authors.forename: Natalie C
authors.initials: NC
authors.lastname: Ebner
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Stockholm University Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Petri
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Laukka
authors.affiliation: Aging Research Center, Karolinska Institute Stockholm, Sweden ; Department of Psychology, Stockholm University Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Håkan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Fischer
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology at the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg Gothenburg, Sweden.
authors.forename: Lars
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Westberg
keywords: KCNH2; NOS3; face recognition; memory; nitric oxide; social