Dopamine beta-hydroxylase gene modulates individuals' empathic ability
Dopamine beta-hydroxylase gene modulates individuals' empathic ability
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DOI：
10.1093/scan/nst122
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发表时间：
2014-09-01
影响因子：
4.2
通讯作者：
Zhou, Xiaolin
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Gong, Pingyuan;Liu, Jinting;Zhou, Xiaolin
Dopamine beta-hydroxylase (DBH), an enzyme that converts dopamine to norepinephrine, has broad influences on social functions. In this study, we examined to what extent two polymorphisms (-1021C/T and a 19 bp insertion/deletion) in DBH gene modulate individuals' empathic perception and response, which were measured, respectively, by reading the mind in the eyes test and the empathic concern subscale of interpersonal reactivity index. Results showed that polymorphism at -1021C/T, but not the 19 bp insertion/deletion, accounts for 2.3% variance of empathic perception and 1.4% variance of empathic response. Individuals with the CC genotype, which is associated with higher DBH activity, manifested greater empathic ability than those with CT/TT genotypes. These findings demonstrate the importance of DBH -1021C/T as a genetic basis of empathy and in predicting individual differences in social and affective processing.
