Association Between a Functional Polymorphism in the MAOA Gene and Both Emotional Coping Style and Neuroticism

Abstract

Objective: Identification of genetic risk factors for major depressive disorder (MDD) represents a major challenge around the world. Molecular studies of endophenotypes associated with MDD, such as personality traits and coping, are useful for the identification of candidate genes. The aim of this study was to evaluate the possible association between a functional polymorphism in the monoamine oxidase A (MAOA) gene and scores in coping and neuroticism in young adults.Results: A sample of 251 healthy young participants from Colombia were evaluated with the short forms of the Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations (CISS-SF) and the Big Five Inventory (BFI-S) and genotyped for MAOA-VNTR polymorphism. A statistically significant association of the functional MAOA-VNTR for scores in both emotion-oriented coping and neuroticism was found. Individuals carrying the 4 allele (3/4 or 4/4 genotypes) had higher scores for both emotion-oriented coping and neuroticism than individuals with a 3/3 genotype. Our results are the first description about a significant association between a functional polymorphism in the MAOA gene and coping and add evidence to the association of this gene with neuroticism. Our findings support the hypothesis of a broad effect of the MAOA gene on several dimensions of human behavior of psychiatric relevance.