Role of the gene polymorphic variants of the dopaminergic system in the formation of the human psycho-emotional status

Abstract

The genes of the neurotransmitter systems of the brain play a significant role in the formation of the psychological properties of a person. The dopaminergic system is one of the leading systems influencing the manifestation of individual psychological characteristics and the development of anxiety and depressive disorders. The association of polymorphic variants of the dopaminergic system genes with the psycho-emotional status of a person was analyzed using the molecular genetic analysis. The study involved 1454 representatives of the Belarusian population. The genotypes of 167 employees of the special forces of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Belarus and 235 highly skilled athletes were studied as the groups that were supposedly more stress-resistant. The opposite group consisted of 534 patients of the Republican Scientific and Practical Center for Mental Health with personality disorders and deviant behavior. The population control group included 518 volunteers representing the population of Belarus without known pathologies. As a result of the psychological testing, the groups with low and high emotional stability were identified by the quartile method. Genetic testing of groups with 11 polymorphic variants of 5 genes of the dopaminergic system made it possible to identify informative genetic markers of a person’s psycho-emotional status. The most significant polymorphisms were rs4680 and rs165599 of the COMT catechol-O-methyltransferase gene, rs1611115 of the dopamine-metabolizing enzyme dopamine-β-hydroxylase gene DBH, and rs6275 of the type 2 dopamine receptor gene DRD2. The results obtained can be used for preventive diagnostics of disorders in the psycho-emotional sphere, as well as for the development of programs for correction of borderline states, deviant and delinquent behavior, as well as mental illness.