Oxytocin receptor polymorphisms and adult attachment style in patients with depression

Summary Much evidence of an association between specific attachment styles and depression prompted us to investigate, in depressive disorders, the potential role of polymorphisms within the gene encoding the receptor of the main neurohormone involved in attachment processes, oxytocin. For this purpo...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Psychoneuroendocrinology 2009-11, Vol.34 (10), p.1506-1514
Main Authors: Costa, Barbara, Pini, Stefano, Gabelloni, Pamela, Abelli, Marianna, Lari, Lisa, Cardini, Alessandra, Muti, Matteo, Gesi, Camilla, Landi, Stefano, Galderisi, Silvana, Mucci, Armida, Lucacchini, Antonio, Cassano, Giovanni B, Martini, Claudia
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Adult and adolescent clinical studies
Adult attachment style
Anxiety, Separation - genetics
Behavioral psychophysiology
Biological and medical sciences
Bipolar depression
Bipolar disorders
Case-Control Studies
Depression
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Female
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Genetic Predisposition to Disease
Haplotype
Hormones and behavior
Humans
Linkage Disequilibrium
Male
Medical sciences
Mood disorders
Mood Disorders - genetics
Object Attachment
Oxytocin
Oxytocin receptor
Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide
Psychiatry
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychology. Psychophysiology
Psychopathology. Psychiatry
Receptors, Oxytocin - genetics
RNA Splicing
Single nucleotide polymorphisms
Unipolar depression
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Summary:Summary Much evidence of an association between specific attachment styles and depression prompted us to investigate, in depressive disorders, the potential role of polymorphisms within the gene encoding the receptor of the main neurohormone involved in attachment processes, oxytocin. For this purpose, two single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), 6930G>A (rs53576) and 9073G>A (rs2254298), within the oxytocin receptor gene ( OXTR ), were studied in a cohort of 185 patients with major depression (50.3%) or bipolar I or II disorders (49.7%) and 192 matched healthy controls. A positive association between the GG genotype of OXTR SNPs (6930G>A or 9073G>A) and unipolar depression was demonstrated. In this group, GG individuals showed high scores on Attachment Style Questionnaire factors that have been previously associated with depression. Moreover, the GG genotype was also associated with high levels of adult separation anxiety. These findings support the involvement of the oxytocinergic system in the mechanisms that underlie depression and specific adult attachment styles.
ISSN:0306-4530
1873-3360
DOI:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2009.05.006