Neurotensin receptor 1 gene polymorphisms are associated with personality traits in healthy Chinese individuals.

AIMS

Neurotensin receptor 1 (NTR1) is a neurotensin (NT) receptor subtype with a high affinity for NT. NT and NTR1 signaling are involved in modulating the dopamine system. Individual variations in the dopamine system have been demonstrated to determine certain dimensions of personality, but no studies have thus far investigated the involvement of the NTR1 in the biological determination of personality. We therefore examined this link in a Chinese Han population.

METHODS

We genotyped 3 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (rs6090453C/G, rs6011914C/G, and rs2427422A/G) of the NTR1 gene and collected the data about the personality traits of novelty seeking (NS), harm avoidance (HA), and reward dependence (RD), as well as their subscales (measured by the Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire), in 575 healthy Chinese Han subjects. Then we examined the association between the 3 NTR1 gene polymorphisms and each personality trait.

RESULTS

There were significant differences in the HA2, HA3 and RD1 scores between rs6090453C/G genotypes (F = 3.425, 5.651, 4.054, p = 0.033, 0.004, 0.018, respectively), in the HA2 and total RD scores between rs6011914C/G genotypes (F = 4.080, 3.712, p = 0.017, 0.025, respectively), and in the total RD (χ(2) = 7.301, p = 0.026) and RD3 (F = 4.119, p = 0.017) scores between the rs2427422A/G genotypes. There were significant male-specific differences in the RD1 scores between the rs6090453C/G genotypes (F = 3.334, p = 0.037), in the total HA (F = 3.043, p = 0.049), HA2 (F = 4.472, p = 0.012) and RD3 (χ(2) = 6.997, p = 0.030) scores between the rs6011914C/G genotypes, and in the HA2 (F = 3.177, p = 0.043), total RD (χ(2) = 7.032, p = 0.030), and RD3 (F = 4.563, p = 0.011) scores between the rs2427422A/G genotypes. We also demonstrated a significant female-specific difference in the total RD scores between the rs6011914C/G genotypes (F = 3.677, p = 0.026). There was no significant difference in the total NS and subscale scores between the genotypes of all 3 SNPs (all p > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

The variations in the NTR1 gene were involved in the biological mechanisms of HA and RD personality traits; however, the effect is influenced by gender.