Effects of methamphetamine abuse and serotonin transporter gene variants on aggression and emotion-processing neurocircuitry.

ABSTRACT: Individuals who abuse methamphetamine (MA) exhibit heightened aggression, but the neurobiological underpinnings are poorly understood. As variability in the serotonin transporter (SERT) gene can influence aggression, this study assessed possible contributions of this gene to MA-related aggression. In all, 53 MA-dependent and 47 control participants provided self-reports of aggression, and underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging while viewing pictures of faces. Participants were genotyped at two functional polymorphic loci in the SERT gene: the SERT-linked polymorphic region (SERT-LPR) and the intron 2 variable number tandem repeat polymorphism (STin2 VNTR); participants were then classified as having high or low risk for aggression according to individual SERT risk allele combinati

SUBMITTER: Payer DE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3309557 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature