Dopamine and glutamate receptor genes interactively influence episodic memory in old age

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

  • Goran Papenberg - , Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Karolinska Institutet (Author)
  • Shu Chen Li - , Chair of Lifespan Developmental Neuroscience, Max Planck Institute for Human Development (Author)
  • Irene E. Nagel - , Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Free University of Berlin (Author)
  • Wilfried Nietfeld - , Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics (Author)
  • Brit Maren Schjeide - , Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics (Author)
  • Julia Schröder - , Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin (Author)
  • Lars Bertram - , Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics (Author)
  • Hauke R. Heekeren - , Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Free University of Berlin (Author)
  • Ulman Lindenberger - , Max Planck Institute for Human Development (Author)
  • Lars Bäckman - , Karolinska Institutet (Author)

Abstract

Both the dopaminergic and glutamatergic systems modulate episodic memory consolidation. Evidence from animal studies suggests that these two neurotransmitters may interact in influencing memory performance. Given that individual differences in episodic memory are heritable, we investigated whether variations of the dopamine D2 receptor gene (rs6277, C957T) and the N-methyl-D-aspartate 3A (NR3A) gene, coding for the N-methyl-D-aspartate 3A subunit of the glutamate N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (rs10989591, Val362Met), interactively modulate episodic memory in large samples of younger (20-31 years; n= 670) and older (59-71 years; n= 832) adults. We found a reliable gene-gene interaction, which was observed in older adults only: older individuals carrying genotypes associated with greater D2 and N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor efficacy showed better episodic performance. These results are in line with findings showing magnification of genetic effects on memory in old age, presumably as a consequence of reduced brain resources. Our findings underscore the need for investigating interactive effects of multiple genes to understand individual difference in episodic memory.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1213.e3-1213.e8
Number of pages6
JournalNeurobiology of aging
Volume35
Issue number5
Publication statusPublished - May 2014
Peer-reviewedYes

External IDs

Scopus 84893733182
PubMed 24332987

Keywords

Keywords

  • Aging, D2 receptors, Dopamine, Episodic memory, Gene-gene interactions, Glutamate, NMDA receptors