Dopamine beta-hydroxylase gene modulates individuals' empathic ability

Pingyuan Gong; Jinting Liu; She Li; Xiaolin Zhou

doi:10.1093/scan/nst122

Dopamine beta-hydroxylase gene modulates individuals' empathic ability

Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci. 2014 Sep;9(9):1341-5. doi: 10.1093/scan/nst122. Epub 2013 Aug 29.

Authors

Pingyuan Gong¹, Jinting Liu², She Li², Xiaolin Zhou³

Affiliations

¹ Center for Brain and Cognitive Sciences and Department of Psychology, Peking University, Beijing 100871, Laboratory of Medical Molecular Biology, Henan University of Science and Technology, Luoyang 471003, China, Key Laboratory of Machine Perception (Ministry of Education) and PKU-IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China Center for Brain and Cognitive Sciences and Department of Psychology, Peking University, Beijing 100871, Laboratory of Medical Molecular Biology, Henan University of Science and Technology, Luoyang 471003, China, Key Laboratory of Machine Perception (Ministry of Education) and PKU-IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China.
² Center for Brain and Cognitive Sciences and Department of Psychology, Peking University, Beijing 100871, Laboratory of Medical Molecular Biology, Henan University of Science and Technology, Luoyang 471003, China, Key Laboratory of Machine Perception (Ministry of Education) and PKU-IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China.
³ Center for Brain and Cognitive Sciences and Department of Psychology, Peking University, Beijing 100871, Laboratory of Medical Molecular Biology, Henan University of Science and Technology, Luoyang 471003, China, Key Laboratory of Machine Perception (Ministry of Education) and PKU-IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China Center for Brain and Cognitive Sciences and Department of Psychology, Peking University, Beijing 100871, Laboratory of Medical Molecular Biology, Henan University of Science and Technology, Luoyang 471003, China, Key Laboratory of Machine Perception (Ministry of Education) and PKU-IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China Center for Brain and Cognitive Sciences and Department of Psychology, Peking University, Beijing 100871, Laboratory of Medical Molecular Biology, Henan University of Science and Technology, Luoyang 471003, China, Key Laboratory of Machine Perception (Ministry of Education) and PKU-IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China xz104@pku.edu.cn.

Abstract

Dopamine beta-hydroxylase (DBH), an enzyme that converts dopamine to norepinephrine, has broad influences on social functions. In this study, we examined to what extent two polymorphisms (-1021C/T and a 19 bp insertion/deletion) in DBH gene modulate individuals' empathic perception and response, which were measured, respectively, by reading the mind in the eyes test and the empathic concern subscale of interpersonal reactivity index. Results showed that polymorphism at -1021C/T, but not the 19 bp insertion/deletion, accounts for 2.3% variance of empathic perception and 1.4% variance of empathic response. Individuals with the CC genotype, which is associated with higher DBH activity, manifested greater empathic ability than those with CT/TT genotypes. These findings demonstrate the importance of DBH -1021C/T as a genetic basis of empathy and in predicting individual differences in social and affective processing.

Keywords: DBH; dopamine beta-hydroxylase; empathy; polymorphism; −1021C/T.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Analysis of Variance
Asian People / ethnology
Asian People / genetics
Dopamine beta-Hydroxylase / genetics*
Empathy / genetics*
Female
Genotype
Humans
Individuality
Male
Polymorphism, Genetic / genetics*
Psychological Tests
Young Adult

Substances

Dopamine beta-Hydroxylase