Association between the oxytocin receptor (OXTR) gene and mesolimbic responses to rewards.

ABSTRACT:

Background

There has been significant progress in identifying genes that confer risk for autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). However, the heterogeneity of symptom presentation in ASDs impedes the detection of ASD risk genes. One approach to understanding genetic influences on ASD symptom expression is to evaluate relations between variants of ASD candidate genes and neural endophenotypes in unaffected samples. Allelic variations in the oxytocin receptor (OXTR) gene confer small but significant risk for ASDs for which the underlying mechanisms may involve associations between variability in oxytocin signaling pathways and neural response to rewards. The purpose of this preliminary study was to investigate the influence of allelic variability in the OXTR gene on neural responses to mon

SUBMITTER: Damiano CR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3922109 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature