Variant in oxytocin receptor gene is associated with amygdala volume

摘要: The oxytocin system plays a significant role in modulating stress responses animals and humans; perturbations this may contribute to the pathogenesis of psychiatric disorder. Attempts identify clinically relevant genetic variants have yielded associations between polymorphisms receptor (OXTR) gene both autism major depression. To date, however, little is known about how such affect brain structures implicated these disorders. Applying manual tracing procedure high-resolution structural magnetic resonance images, amygdala volumes were measured 51 girls genotyped on OXTR rs2254298(G>A), single nucleotide polymorphism associated with psychopathology. Results study indicate that despite having greater gray matter volume, participants homozygous for G allele characterized by smaller left right than carriers A allele. subsequent whole-brain voxel-based morphometry analysis revealed additional genotype-mediated volumetric group differences posterior stem dorsomedial anterior cingulate cortex. These findings highlight one neurobiological pathway which increase risk Further research needed characterize mechanism contributes anatomical variability functional correlates alterations regional volume.