Associations between genetic factors in individualization of visual perception and components of event-related potentials during assessment of emotional visual stimuli (scenes) with distinct second-order features

Abstract

Background: The aim of this paper is to investigate the associations between polymorphisms in the BDNF, COMT, and HTR2A genes with peculiarity of visual perception. In particular, how the carriers of different genotypes of Indicated genes emotionally evaluating visual scenes with distinct second-order features (images modulated by contrast) and how corresponding process is reflected in event-related brain activity (ERP). Methods: The study involved students who underwent PCR-based genetic analysis with the release of BDNF, COMT, and HTR2A genotypes. Participants were asked to emotionally assesse the specific stimuli – visual scenes that were generated from contrast modulations. At the same time the EEG were recorded using a 128-electrodes system. The average frequency of responses and ERPs for different emotional evaluations (negative, neutral and positive) were analyzed. Results: The study showed the BDNF Val/Val polymorphism was associated with the increase in the P2 amplitude in the occipital regions compared to the Val/Met genotype regardless of emotional evaluation. The COMT Met/Met genotype polymorphism associated with the increase of N170 negativity in the occipital regions during evaluation task. The HTR2A polymorphism A/A associated with increase in the P1 amplitude when positive or negative assessment were chosen, and decrease of later positive peak when neutral evaluation was chosen. Conclusions: The results suggested that emotional evaluation and recognition of visual scenes with distinct second-order features, as well as various strategies for processing visual information, reflected in amplitude and latency of different ERPs components and associated with the different genotypes of BDNF, COMT, and HTR2A genes. The indicated interconnections can act as genetic basis of individualize the mechanisms of visual perception.