Hariri Ahmad R, Holmes Andrew
Department of Psychiatry and Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, USA.
Trends Cogn Sci. 2006 Apr;10(4):182-91. doi: 10.1016/j.tics.2006.02.011. Epub 2006 Mar 10.
Identifying biological mechanisms through which genes lead to individual differences in emotional behavior is paramount to our understanding of how such differences confer risk for neuropsychiatric illness. The emergence of techniques such as in vivo imaging of brain function in humans and genetic engineering in rodents has provided important new insights into the impact of serotonin (5-HT), a key modulator of emotional behavior, on neural systems subserving anxiety and depression. A major finding has been the discovery of genetic variation in a crucial regulatory molecule within the 5-HT system, the 5HT transporter (5-HTT), and its influence on emotional traits. The study of the 5-HTT provides a new foundation for understanding the neurobiological and genetic basis of emotional regulation and affective illness.
识别基因导致情绪行为个体差异的生物学机制，对于我们理解这些差异如何赋予神经精神疾病风险至关重要。诸如人类脑功能的体内成像和啮齿动物基因工程等技术的出现，为血清素（5-羟色胺，5-HT）——情绪行为的关键调节因子——对维持焦虑和抑郁的神经系统的影响提供了重要的新见解。一个主要发现是在5-HT系统内一个关键调节分子即5-羟色胺转运体（5-HTT）中发现了基因变异及其对情绪特质的影响。对5-HTT的研究为理解情绪调节和情感性疾病的神经生物学及遗传基础提供了新的基础。
