Serotonin transporter gene (5-HTTLPR) polymorphisms are associated with emotional modulation of pain but not emotional modulation of spinal nociception |
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Authors: | Palit Shreela Sheaff Robert J France Christopher R McGlone Sarah T Potter William T Harkness Allan R McNulty John L Bartley Emily J Hoffmann Rachel Monda Julie K Rhudy Jamie L |
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Institution: | a Department of Psychology, The University of Tulsa, 800 South Tucker Drive, Tulsa, OK 74104, United States b Department of Biochemistry, The University of Tulsa, 800 South Tucker Drive, Tulsa, OK 74104, United States c Department of Psychology, Ohio University, 245 Porter Hall, Athens, OH 45701, United States |
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Abstract: | The short allele of the serotonin transporter gene (5-HTTLPR) is associated with greater negative emotionality. Given that emotion modulates pain, short allele carriers (s-carriers) may also demonstrate altered pain modulation. The present study used a well-validated emotional picture-viewing paradigm to modulate pain and the nociceptive flexion reflex (NFR, a measure of spinal nociception) in 144 healthy genotyped participants. As expected, pain/NFR responses were largest during unpleasant pictures and smallest during pleasant pictures. However, relative to l/l-carriers, s-carriers demonstrated greater pain inhibition during pleasant pictures and greater pain facilitation during unpleasant pictures. Neither emotional modulation of NFR nor NFR threshold was associated with 5-HTTLPR polymorphisms. Results also indicated that men who were s-carriers had a higher pain threshold and tolerance than other participants. Taken together, our results indicate 5-HTTLPR polymorphisms may influence pain modulation at the supraspinal (not spinal) level; however, the influence on pain sensitivity may be sex-specific. |
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Keywords: | Genetics Emotion Pain Descending modulation Nociceptive flexion reflex |
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