Differential Influence of 5-HTTLPR - Polymorphism and COMT Val158Met - Polymorphism on Emotion Perception and Regulation in Healthy Women. (31st March 2014)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Weiss, Elisabeth M.; Freudenthaler, H. Harald; Fink, Andreas; Reiser, Eva M.; Niederstätter, Harald; Nagl, Simone; Parson, Walther; Papousek, Ilona
• Is Part Of: Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society. Volume 20:Number 5(2014:May)
• Page Start: 516
• Page End: 524
• Publication Date: 2014-03-31
• Subjects: Neuropsychology -- Periodicals; 616.8
• DOI: 10.1017/S135561771400023X
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1355-6177

Abstract

<abstract abstract-type="normal"> <title>Abstract</title> <p>Converging evidence indicates that a considerable amount of variance in self-estimated emotional competency can be directly attributed to genetic factors. The current study examined the associations between the polymorphisms of the Catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT Met158Val) and the serotonin transporter (5-HTTLPR) and specific measures of the self-estimated effectiveness of an individual's emotion perception and regulation. Emotional competence was measured in a large sample of 289 healthy women by using the Self-report Emotional Ability Scale (SEAS), which includes two subscales for the assessment of emotion perception and regulation in the intra-personal domain and two subscales for the assessment of emotion perception and regulation in the inter-personal domain. Participants' reports of effective emotion regulation in everyday life were associated with the COMT Met-allele, with women homozygous for the Val-allele scoring lowest on this scale. Self-estimated effectiveness of emotion perception of the individual's own emotions was related to the 5-HTTLPR. Both homozygous groups (s/s and l/l) rated their intra-personal emotion perception less effective than participants in the heterozygous s/l group. Taken together, the results indicate that genetic variants of the COMT and 5HTTLPR genes are differentially associated with specific measures of the self-estimated effectiveness of an individual's emotion perception and regulation in the intra-personal domain. (<italic>JINS</italic>, 2014, <italic>20</italic>, 1–9)</p> </abstract>