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5‐ HTTLPR and anxiety modulate brain‐heart covariation
Author(s) -
Mueller Erik M.,
Stemmler Gerhard,
Hennig Jürgen,
Wacker Jan
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
psychophysiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.661
H-Index - 156
eISSN - 1469-8986
pISSN - 0048-5772
DOI - 10.1111/psyp.12016
Subject(s) - serotonin transporter , psychology , electroencephalography , anxiety , neuroticism , 5 httlpr , brain activity and meditation , audiology , serotonin , developmental psychology , neuroscience , medicine , psychiatry , personality , social psychology , receptor
To date, little is known about genes affecting the interplay of brain and heart activity. Because serotonin (5‐ HT ) is involved in corticovagal neurotransmission, we tested whether the 5‐ HT transporter polymorphism 5‐ HTTLPR affects brain‐heart covariation. Further, associations with neuroticism/anxiety ( NANX ) were tested, as anxiety is related to 5‐ HT and neurogenic changes of heart period ( HP ). N = 168 participants performed a time‐estimation task while EEG and HP were recorded. Brain‐heart covariation was measured using time‐lagged within‐subject correlations of centromedial feedback‐evoked single‐trial EEG at 300 ms and subsequent changes of HP . EEG ‐ HP correlations were higher in 5‐ HTTLPR long allele carriers. Moreover, after negative feedback, EEG ‐ HP correlations and feedback‐related negativity amplitudes independently correlated with NANX . The results indicate that individual differences in brain‐heart covariation relate to 5‐ HT and NANX .