A functional polymorphism of the GTP cyclohydrolase 1 gene predicts attention performance

Yuka Yasuda; Ryota Hashimoto; Kazutaka Ohi; Hidenaga Yamamori; Michiko Fujimoto; Satomi Umeda-Yano; Haruo Fujino; Masaki Fukunaga; Mieko Horiguchi; Masatoshi Takeda; Hiroshi Ichinose

doi:10.1016/j.neulet.2014.02.019

A functional polymorphism of the GTP cyclohydrolase 1 gene predicts attention performance

Neurosci Lett. 2014 Apr 30:566:46-9. doi: 10.1016/j.neulet.2014.02.019. Epub 2014 Feb 20.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Department of Psychiatry, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan.
² Department of Psychiatry, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan; Molecular Research Center for Children's Mental Development, United Graduate School of Child Development, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka, Japan. Electronic address: hashimor@psy.med.osaka-u.ac.jp.
³ Department of Psychiatry, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan; Department of Molecular Neuropsychiatry, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Suita, Osaka, Japan.
⁴ Department of Molecular Neuropsychiatry, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Suita, Osaka, Japan.
⁵ Graduate School of Human Sciences, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan.
⁶ Biofunctional Imaging, Immunology Frontier Research Center, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan.
⁷ Graduate School of Bioscience and Biotechonology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokohama, 226-8501, Japan; Department of Domestic Science, Otsuma Women's University Junior College Division, Tokyo, 102-8357, Japan.
⁸ Graduate School of Bioscience and Biotechonology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokohama, 226-8501, Japan.

PMID: 24561090
DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2014.02.019

Abstract

Guanosine triphosphate cyclohydrolase 1 (GCH1) is the rate-limiting enzyme for the biosynthesis of tetrahydrobiopterin, a cofactor for aromatic amino acid hydroxylases and nitric oxide synthases. As monoamine neurotransmitters are synthesized by the reactions catalyzed by tyrosine hydroxylase and tryptophan hydroxylase, alterations in the content of tetrahydrobiopterin affect the monoamine levels in the brain. Here, we examined the possible association of a functional single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) of the GCH1 gene, rs841 (C+243T), with attentional function as assessed by the Continuous Performance Test-Identical Pairs version (CPT-IP) in healthy individuals. We found that homozygous T/T genotype carriers of rs841 scored lower performance on the CPT-IP test. Our data suggest that alterations in GCH1 activity affect attentional function, especially sustained attention and vigilance.

Keywords: Attention/vigilance; Continuous performance test; GTP cyclohydrolase 1; SNP; Tetrahydrobiopterin.

Publication types

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

MeSH terms

Adult
Attention*
Cognition*
Female
GTP Cyclohydrolase / genetics*
Genetic Association Studies
Genotype
Humans
Male
Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide
Young Adult

Substances

GTP Cyclohydrolase