Open AccessA Single Nucleotide Polymorphism of the Neuropeptide B/W Receptor-1 Gene Influences the Evaluation of Facial Expressions
Author(s) -
Noriya Watanabe,
Morikatsu Wada,
Yoko Irukayama-Tomobe,
Yuji Ogata,
Natsuko Tsujino,
Masatatsu Suzuki,
Naoki Furutani,
Takeshi Sakurai,
Miyuki Yamamoto
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
plos one
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.99
H-Index - 332
ISSN - 1932-6203
DOI - 10.1371/journal.pone.0035390
Subject(s) - single nucleotide polymorphism , amygdala , facial expression , valence (chemistry) , psychology , anger , arousal , biology , neuropeptide y receptor , emotional expression , genetics , endocrinology , genotype , receptor , gene , neuropeptide , neuroscience , developmental psychology , communication , social psychology , chemistry , organic chemistry
Neuropeptide B/W receptor-1 (NPBWR1) is expressed in discrete brain regions in rodents and humans, with particularly strong expression in the limbic system, including the central nucleus of the amygdala. Recently, Nagata-Kuroiwa et al. reported that Npbwr1 −/− mice showed changes in social behavior, suggesting that NPBWR1 plays important roles in the emotional responses of social interactions. The human NPBWR1 gene has a single nucleotide polymorphism at nucleotide 404 (404A>T; SNP rs33977775). This polymorphism results in an amino acid change, Y135F. The results of an in vitro experiment demonstrated that this change alters receptor function. We investigated the effect of this variation on emotional responses to stimuli of showing human faces with four categories of emotional expressions (anger, fear, happiness, and neutral). Subjects' emotional levels on seeing these faces were rated on scales of hedonic valence, emotional arousal, and dominance (V-A-D). A significant genotype difference was observed in valence evaluation; the 404AT group perceived facial expressions more pleasantly than did the 404AA group, regardless of the category of facial expression. Statistical analysis of each combination of [V-A-D and facial expression] also showed that the 404AT group tended to feel less submissive to an angry face than did the 404AA group. Thus, a single nucleotide polymorphism of NPBWR1 seems to affect human behavior in a social context.