A functional polymorphism of the MAOA gene modulates spontaneous brain activity in pons.

Hui Lei, Xiaocui Zhang, Xin Di, Hengyi Rao, Qingsen Ming, Jibiao Zhang, Xiao Guo, Yali Jiang, Yidian Gao, Jinyao Yi, Xiongzhao Zhu, Shuqiao Yao

BioMed research international 2014

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To investigate the effects of a functional polymorphism of the monoamine oxidase A (MAOA) gene on spontaneous brain activity in healthy male adolescents. Thirty-one healthy male adolescents with the low-activity MAOA genotype (MAOA-L) and 25 healthy male adolescents with the high-activity MAOA genotype (MAOA-H) completed the 11-item Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS-11) questionnaire and were subjected to resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) scans. The amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF) of the blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) signal was calculated using REST software. ALFF data were related to BIS scores and compared between genotype groups. Compared with the MAOA-H group, the MAOA-L group showed significantly lower ALFFs in the pons. There was a significant correlation between the BIS scores and the ALFF values in the pons for MAOA-L group, but not for the MAOA-H group. Further regression analysis showed a significant genotype by ALFF values interaction effect on BIS scores. Lower spontaneous brain activity in the pons of the MAOA-L male adolescents may provide a neural mechanism by which boys with the MAOA-L genotype confers risk for impulsivity and aggression.

Citation

Hui Lei, Xiaocui Zhang, Xin Di, Hengyi Rao, Qingsen Ming, Jibiao Zhang, Xiao Guo, Yali Jiang, Yidian Gao, Jinyao Yi, Xiongzhao Zhu, Shuqiao Yao. A functional polymorphism of the MAOA gene modulates spontaneous brain activity in pons. BioMed research international. 2014;2014:243280