Resting-state striato-frontal functional connectivity is sensitive to DAT1 genotype and predicts executive function
Evan M Gordon1, Joseph M Devaney2, Stephanie Bean3
1Interdisciplinary Program in Neuroscience, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC 20007, USA.
Cerebral Cortex (New York, N.Y. : 1991)
|August 24, 2013
Summary
Genetic variations in dopamine transporter (DAT1) influence brain connectivity, impacting executive functions like working memory and impulsivity in healthy adults.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Genetics
- Cognitive Psychology
Background:
- Individual differences in striatal dopamine (DA) signaling are linked to executive function and psychiatric disorders.
- The dopamine transporter gene (DAT1) regulates striatal DA function.
Purpose of the Study:
- Examine how DAT1 polymorphism affects striatal functional connectivity in healthy adults.
- Determine if this connectivity predicts executive function.
Main Methods:
- Resting-state functional connectivity fMRI in 50 healthy adults.
- Genotyping for DAT1 polymorphism.
- Correlation and mediation analyses between genotype, connectivity, and executive function measures (working memory, impulsivity).
Main Results:
- DAT1 heterozygotes showed stronger striato-frontal connectivity than homozygotes.
- Dorsal caudate connectivity predicted better working memory.
- Ventral striatum connectivity predicted lower impulsivity.
- Connectivity strength mediated the relationship between DAT1 genotype and behavior.
Conclusions:
- Resting-state striato-frontal connectivity may serve as an endophenotype for executive function.
- DAT1 genotype influences brain connectivity, which in turn affects cognitive performance.
