Differential effects of 5-HTTLPR and DRD2/ANKK1 polymorphisms on electrocortical measures of error and feedback processing in children

Althaus, Monika; Groen, Yvonne; Wijers, Albertus A.; Mulder, Lambertus J.M.; Minderaa, Ruud B.; Kema, Ido P.; Dijck, Janneke D.A.; Hartman, Catharina A.; Hoekstra, Pieter J.

doi:10.1016/j.clinph.2008.10.012

« Previous Next »Clinical Neurophysiology
Volume 120, Issue 1 , Pages 93-107, January 2009

Differential effects of 5-HTTLPR and DRD2/ANKK1 polymorphisms on electrocortical measures of error and feedback processing in children

Monika Althaus
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Hanzeplein 1, 9713 GZ Groningen, The Netherlands
- Corresponding author. Tel.: +31 50 3681103; fax: +31 50 3618122.
Yvonne Groen
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Hanzeplein 1, 9713 GZ Groningen, The Netherlands
Albertus A. Wijers
- Department of Experimental and Work Psychology, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
Lambertus J.M. Mulder
- Department of Experimental and Work Psychology, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
Ruud B. Minderaa
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Hanzeplein 1, 9713 GZ Groningen, The Netherlands
Ido P. Kema
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
Janneke D.A. Dijck
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
Catharina A. Hartman
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Hanzeplein 1, 9713 GZ Groningen, The Netherlands
Pieter J. Hoekstra
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Hanzeplein 1, 9713 GZ Groningen, The Netherlands

Accepted 11 October 2008.

Abstract

Objective

Applying a probabilistic learning task we examined the influence of functional polymorphisms of the serotonin transporter gene (5-HTTLPR) and the D2 dopamine receptor gene (DRD2/ANKK1) on error and feedback processing by measuring electrocortical event-related potentials (ERPs) in 10- to 12-year-old children.

Methods

Three pairwise group comparisons were conducted on four distinguishable ERP components, two of which were response-related, the other two feedback-related.

Results

Our ERP data revealed that children carrying the short (S) variant of the 5-HTTLPR gene process their errors more intensively while exhibiting less habituation to negative feedback with task progression compared to children who are homozygous for the 5-HTTLPR long (L) variant. Children possessing the Taq1 A variant of the DRD2 gene showed greater sensitivity to negative feedback and, as opposed to Taq1 A non-carriers, a diminishing sensitivity to positive feedback with task progression. Regarding error processing, children possessing both the S variant of the 5-HTTLPR and the Taq1 A allele of the DRD2 gene showed a picture quite similar to that of the 5-HTTLPR S carriers and regarding feedback processing quite similar to that of the DRD2 Taq1 A carriers.

Conclusions

Our findings support the hypotheses that the 5-HTTLPR S allele may predispose to (performance) anxiety, while DRD2 Taq1 A allele may predispose to the reward deficiency syndrome.