title: Investigating the genetic basis of attention to facial expressions: the role of the norepinephrine transporter gene.
abstract: Levels of norepinephrine (NE) in the brain are related to attention ability in animals and risk of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder in humans. Given the modulation of the norepinephrine transporter (NET) on NE levels in the brain and the link between NE and attention impairment of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, it was possible that the NET gene underpinned individual differences in attention processes in healthy populations.
  
  
  
  To investigate to what extent NET could modulate one's attention orientation to facial expressions, we categorized individuals according to the genotypes of the -182 T/C (rs2242446) polymorphism and measured individuals' attention orientation with the spatial cueing task.
  
  
  
  Our results indicated that the -182 T/C polymorphism significantly modulated attention orientation to facial expressions, of which the CC genotype facilitated attention reorientation to the locations where cued faces were previously presented. However, this polymorphism showed no significant effects on the regulations of emotional cues on attention orientation.
  
  
  
  Our findings suggest that the NET gene modulates the individual difference in attention to facial expressions, which provides new insights into the roles of NE in social interactions.
authors.affiliation: aKey Laboratory of Resource Biology and Biotechnology in Western China, Ministry of Education bShaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, Northwest University, Xi'an cLaboratory of Medical Molecular Biology, Henan University of Science and Technology, Luoyang, China.
authors.forename: Xing
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Wenzhao
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Ru
authors.forename: Bei
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Xiaocai
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.forename: Lu
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: She
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Shoumin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Xi
authors.forename: Pingyuan
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gong
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001288:Attention; D003463:Cues; D004644:Emotions; D005149:Facial Expression; D000066499:Facial Recognition / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009638:Norepinephrine / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D050484:Norepinephrine Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide / Q000235:genetics; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D050484:Norepinephrine Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins; C493227:SLC6A2 protein, human; D009638:Norepinephrine