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Pleiotropic effects of oxytocin receptor polymorphisms: influencing striatocortical connectivity in bipolar disorder

  • 0Department of Psychiatry, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan.
International Journal of Bipolar Disorders +

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August 31, 2025

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August 31, 2025

View abstract on PubMed

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Oxytocin receptor (OXTR) gene variants influence brain connectivity differently in healthy individuals and bipolar disorder patients, especially when interacting with childhood trauma.

Area Of Science

  • Neuroscience
  • Genetics
  • Psychiatry

Background

  • Oxytocin (OXT) influences social behaviors and emotions, with context-dependent effects.
  • Previous work showed OXT dysregulation impacts striatocortical functional connectivity (FC) in bipolar disorder (BD).
  • Hypothesized OXTR allele sensitivity alters FC in healthy controls (HC) and is modified in BD.

Purpose Of The Study

  • Investigate the relationship between OXTR genotype, childhood trauma, and striatocortical FC in HC and BD.
  • Determine if gene-environment interactions differ between HC and BD.

Main Methods

  • Resting-state functional MRI (fMRI) and genotyping in 39 BD patients and 32 HC.
  • Assessed plasma OXT levels and childhood trauma scores.

Main Results

  • BD patients had higher plasma OXT and childhood trauma scores than HC.
  • OXTR rs2228485 genotype interacted with childhood trauma to affect striatocortical FC.
  • In HC, AA homozygotes showed enhanced FC correlated with trauma; in BD, this was reversed.

Conclusions

  • Findings reveal a gene-disease interplay where OXTR polymorphism modulates environmental sensitivity.
  • Suggests a neural mechanism for how OXTR genotype influences context-dependent network alterations in HC and BD.
  • Childhood trauma shapes striatocortical FC in an OXTR genotype-dependent manner.

Keywords:

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