TY - JOUR
T1 - Prefrontal-Hippocampal Coupling During Memory Processing Is Modulated by COMT Val158Met Genotype
AU - Bertolino, Alessandro
AU - Rubino, Valeria
AU - Sambataro, Fabio
AU - Blasi, Giuseppe
AU - Latorre, Valeria
AU - Fazio, Leonardo
AU - Caforio, Grazia
AU - Petruzzella, Vittoria
AU - Kolachana, Bhaskar
AU - Hariri, Ahmad
AU - Meyer-Lindenberg, Andreas
AU - Nardini, Marcello
AU - Weinberger, Daniel R.
AU - Scarabino, Tommaso
PY - 2006/12/1
Y1 - 2006/12/1
N2 - Background: Studies in humans and in animals have demonstrated that a network of brain regions is involved in performance of declarative and recognition memory tasks. This network includes the hippocampal formation (HF) as well as the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (VLPFC). Studies in animals have suggested that the relationship between these brain regions is strongly modulated by dopamine. Methods: Using fMRI in healthy humans matched for a series of demographic and genetic variables, we studied the effect of the COMT val158met polymorphism on function of HF and VLPFC as well as on their functional coupling during recognition memory. Results: The COMT Val allele was associated with: relatively poorer performance at retrieval; reduced recruitment of neuronal resources in HF and increased recruitment in VLPFC during both encoding and retrieval; and unfavorable functional coupling between these two regions at retrieval. Moreover, functional coupling during retrieval was predictive of behavioral accuracy. Conclusions: These results shed new light on individual differences in responsivity and connectivity between HF and VLPFC related to genetic modulation of dopamine, a mechanism accounting at least in part for individual differences in recognition memory performance.
AB - Background: Studies in humans and in animals have demonstrated that a network of brain regions is involved in performance of declarative and recognition memory tasks. This network includes the hippocampal formation (HF) as well as the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (VLPFC). Studies in animals have suggested that the relationship between these brain regions is strongly modulated by dopamine. Methods: Using fMRI in healthy humans matched for a series of demographic and genetic variables, we studied the effect of the COMT val158met polymorphism on function of HF and VLPFC as well as on their functional coupling during recognition memory. Results: The COMT Val allele was associated with: relatively poorer performance at retrieval; reduced recruitment of neuronal resources in HF and increased recruitment in VLPFC during both encoding and retrieval; and unfavorable functional coupling between these two regions at retrieval. Moreover, functional coupling during retrieval was predictive of behavioral accuracy. Conclusions: These results shed new light on individual differences in responsivity and connectivity between HF and VLPFC related to genetic modulation of dopamine, a mechanism accounting at least in part for individual differences in recognition memory performance.
KW - COMT val158met
KW - connectivity
KW - declarative memory
KW - dopamine
KW - hippocampus
KW - prefrontal cortex
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=33748944189&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=33748944189&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.biopsych.2006.03.078
DO - 10.1016/j.biopsych.2006.03.078
M3 - Article
C2 - 16950222
AN - SCOPUS:33748944189
SN - 0006-3223
VL - 60
SP - 1250
EP - 1258
JO - Biological psychiatry
JF - Biological psychiatry
IS - 11
ER -