L'influence du génotype du transporteur 5-HTTLPR sur la connectivité du cortex cingulaire antérieur subgénale de l'amygdale dans le trouble du spectre de l'autisme

Dev Cogn Neurosci. 2016 Dec 23;24:12-20. doi: 10.1016/j.dcn.2016.12.002.

The influence of 5-HTTLPR transporter genotype on amygdala-subgenual anterior cingulate cortex connectivity in autism spectrum disorder

Velasquez F¹, Wiggins JL², Mattson WI², Martin DM³, Lord C⁴, Monk CS⁵.

Author information

• ¹Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, United States. Electronic address: velasqfr@umich.edu.
• ²Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, United States.
• ³Department of Human Genetics, University of Michigan, United States.
• ⁴Center for Autism and the Developing Brain, Weill Cornell Medicine, United States.
• ⁵Department of Psychology, Neuroscience Program, Department of Psychiatry, Center for Growth and Human Development, University of Michigan, United States.

Abstract

Social deficits in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are linked to amygdala functioning and functional connection between the amygdala and subgenual anterior cingulate cortex (sACC) is involved in the modulation of amygdala activity. Impairments in behavioral symptoms and amygdala activation and connectivity with the sACC seem to vary by serotonin transporter-linked polymorphic region (5-HTTLPR) variant genotype in diverse populations. The current preliminary investigation examines whether amygdala-sACC connectivity differs by 5-HTTLPR genotype and relates to social functioning in ASD. A sample of 108 children and adolescents (44 ASD) completed an fMRI face-processing task. Youth with ASD and low expressing 5-HTTLPR genotypes showed significantly greater connectivity than youth with ASD and higher expressing genotypes as well as typically developing (TD) individuals with both low and higher expressing genotypes, in the comparison of happy vs. baseline faces and happy vs. neutral faces. Moreover, individuals with ASD and higher expressing genotypes exhibit a negative relationship between amygdala-sACC connectivity and social dysfunction. Altered amygdala-sACC coupling based on 5-HTTLPR genotype may help explain some of the heterogeneity in neural and social function observed in ASD. This is the first ASD study to combine genetic polymorphism analyses and functional connectivity in the context of a social task.

Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

KEYWORDS:

5-HTTLPR; Amygdala; Autism spectrum disorder; Connectivity; Face-processing; Heterogeneity; Serotonin; Subgenual anterior cingulate cortex

PMID: 28088648

DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2016.12.002