Assessing the molecular genetics of attention networks
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Assessing the molecular genetics of attention networks. / Fossella, John; Sommer-Blöchl, Tobias; Fan, Jin; Wu, Yanhong; Swanson, James M; Pfaff, Donald W; Posner, Michael I.
In: BMC NEUROSCI, Vol. 3, 04.10.2002, p. 14.Research output: SCORING: Contribution to journal › SCORING: Journal article › Research › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Assessing the molecular genetics of attention networks
AU - Fossella, John
AU - Sommer-Blöchl, Tobias
AU - Fan, Jin
AU - Wu, Yanhong
AU - Swanson, James M
AU - Pfaff, Donald W
AU - Posner, Michael I
PY - 2002/10/4
Y1 - 2002/10/4
N2 - BACKGROUND: Current efforts to study the genetic underpinnings of higher brain functions have been lacking appropriate phenotypes to describe cognition. One of the problems is that many cognitive concepts for which there is a single word (e.g. attention) have been shown to be related to several anatomical networks. Recently, we have developed an Attention Network Test (ANT) that provides a separate measure for each of three anatomically defined attention networks.RESULTS: In this study we have measured the efficiency of neural networks related to aspects of attention using the ANT in a population of 200 adult subjects. We then examined genetic polymorphisms in four candidate genes (DRD4, DAT, COMT and MAOA) that have been shown to contribute to the risk of developing various psychiatric disorders where attention is disrupted. We find modest associations of several polymorphisms with the efficiency of executive attention but not with overall performance measures such as reaction time.CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that genetic variation may underlie inter-subject variation in the efficiency of executive attention. This study also shows that genetic influences on executive attention may be specific to certain anatomical networks rather than affecting performance in a global or non-specific manner. Lastly, this study further validates the ANT as an endophenotypic assay suitable for assessing how genes influence certain anatomical networks that may be disrupted in various psychiatric disorders.
AB - BACKGROUND: Current efforts to study the genetic underpinnings of higher brain functions have been lacking appropriate phenotypes to describe cognition. One of the problems is that many cognitive concepts for which there is a single word (e.g. attention) have been shown to be related to several anatomical networks. Recently, we have developed an Attention Network Test (ANT) that provides a separate measure for each of three anatomically defined attention networks.RESULTS: In this study we have measured the efficiency of neural networks related to aspects of attention using the ANT in a population of 200 adult subjects. We then examined genetic polymorphisms in four candidate genes (DRD4, DAT, COMT and MAOA) that have been shown to contribute to the risk of developing various psychiatric disorders where attention is disrupted. We find modest associations of several polymorphisms with the efficiency of executive attention but not with overall performance measures such as reaction time.CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that genetic variation may underlie inter-subject variation in the efficiency of executive attention. This study also shows that genetic influences on executive attention may be specific to certain anatomical networks rather than affecting performance in a global or non-specific manner. Lastly, this study further validates the ANT as an endophenotypic assay suitable for assessing how genes influence certain anatomical networks that may be disrupted in various psychiatric disorders.
KW - Adolescent
KW - Adult
KW - Alleles
KW - Attention
KW - Catechol O-Methyltransferase
KW - Cognition
KW - Dopamine
KW - Dopamine Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins
KW - Female
KW - Gene Frequency
KW - Genetic Testing
KW - Humans
KW - Male
KW - Membrane Glycoproteins
KW - Membrane Transport Proteins
KW - Middle Aged
KW - Monoamine Oxidase
KW - Nerve Net
KW - Nerve Tissue Proteins
KW - Neuropsychological Tests
KW - Reaction Time
KW - Receptors, Dopamine D2
KW - Receptors, Dopamine D4
KW - Reference Values
KW - Sex Factors
M3 - SCORING: Journal article
C2 - 12366871
VL - 3
SP - 14
JO - BMC NEUROSCI
JF - BMC NEUROSCI
SN - 1471-2202
ER -