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Updated: May 10, 2026
Brain Imaging Investigation of the Neural Correlates of Emotion Regulation
Published on: August 26, 2011
COMT Val158Met × SLC6A4 5-HTTLPR interaction impacts on gray matter volume of regions supporting emotion processing
Joaquim Radua1, Wissam El-Hage2, Gemma C Monté2
1Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, London, UK, Department of Neuroimaging Research, FIDMAG Germanes Hospitalàries, CIBERSAM, Barcelona, Spain, INSERM U930 ERL, Université François Rabelais, Tours, France, Département de Psychiatrie, CHU Angers, LPPL EA4638, Université Angers, Angers, France, MRC Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, UK, Department of Psychiatry, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, Department of Psychological Medicine, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff, UK, and Social and Affective Neuroscience Lab, Ilia State University, Tbilisi, GeorgiaDepartment of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, London, UK, Department of Neuroimaging Research, FIDMAG Germanes Hospitalàries, CIBERSAM, Barcelona, Spain, INSERM U930 ERL, Université François Rabelais, Tours, France, Département de Psychiatrie, CHU Angers, LPPL EA4638, Université Angers, Angers, France, MRC Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, UK, Department of Psychiatry, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, Department of Psychological Medicine, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff, UK, and Social and Affective Neuroscience Lab, Ilia State University, Tbilisi, Georgia Joaquim.Radua@iop.kcl.ac.uk.
Abstract:
There have been several reports on the association between the Val(158)Met genetic polymorphism of the catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) gene, as well as the serotonin transporter-linked polymorphic region (5-HTTLPR) of the serotonin transporter gene (SLC6A4), and frontolimbic region volumes, which have been suggested to underlie individual differences in emotion processing or susceptibility to emotional disorders. However, findings have been somewhat inconsistent. This study used diffeomorphic anatomic registration through exponentiated Lie algebra (DARTEL) whole-brain voxel-based morphometry to study the genetic effects of COMT Val(158)Met and SLC6A4 5-HTTLPR, as well as their interaction, on the regional gray matter volumes of a sample of 91 healthy volunteers. An interaction of COMT Val(158)Met × SLC6A4 5-HTTLPR genotypes with gray matter volume was found in bilateral parahippocampal gyrus, amygdala, hippocampus, vermis of cerebellum and right putamen/insula. In particular, the gray matter volume in these regions was smaller in individuals who were both COMT-Met and 5-HTTLPR-S carriers, or both COMT-Val and 5-HTTLPR-L homozygotes, as compared with individuals with intermediate combinations of alleles. The interaction of COMT Val(158)Met and SLC6A4 5-HTTLPR adds to the understanding of individual differences in emotion processing.
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