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Brain Processes During Expert Cognitive-Motor Performance: The Impact of Mental Stress and Emotion Regulation
Published in Steven Kornguth, Rebecca Steinberg, Michael D. Matthews, Neurocognitive and Physiological Factors During High-Tempo Operations, 2018
Bradley D. Hatfield, Amy J. Haufler
The gene in question is within the serotonin pathway, which has been shown to be critical for regulation of emotional state. A gene within this pathway, the serotonin transporter gene (5-HTT), codes a protein necessary for the successful action of serotonin. Within the regulatory region of this gene exists a common genetic variation (also known as a polymorphism), of which there are two versions: the short (S) allele and the long (L) allele. All individuals carry two copies of each gene, and thus carry one of the following combinations of genetic variation: S/S, S/L, or L/L. Remarkably, carriers of either one or two copies of the short allele (that is, S/S or S/L genotypes) demonstrate brain hyper-reactivity to stressful stimuli and increased fear and anxiety-related behaviors (Hariri et al. 2002). In essence, S allele carriers may be considered “stress-prone” while LL carriers may be considered “stress-regulators.” Given the extensive existing research supporting the strong association between the S allele and anxiety-related behaviors (Hariri et al. 2002, Lesch et al. 1996, Melke et al. 2001, and Ohara et al. 1998), we hypothesize that the S allele holds significant implications for mental and physical activities during performance in soldiers. The benefit to investigating the genetic influence of the stress response is in the potential for developing training interventions to better support these individuals for improved performance.
The association between COMT rs4680 and 5-HTTLPR genotypes and concussion history in South African rugby union players
Published in Journal of Sports Sciences, 2018
Sarah Mc Fie, Shameemah Abrahams, Jon Patricios, Jason Suter, Michael Posthumus, Alison V. September
The 5-HTTLPR polymorphism, within the serotonin transporter gene (SLC6A4), is a 43 base pair insertion or deletion, resulting in a short allele (S), with 14 repeat units, or a long allele (L) comprising 16 repeat units (Heils et al., 1996). The S allele results in reduced serotonin transporter expression and function (Heils et al., 1996; Lesch et al., 1996). Furthermore, within the 5-HTTLPR is an A > G SNP (SLC6A4 rs25531) that modulates the functional effect of the 5-HTTLPR by interfering with a putative transcription factor binding site, such that the LG allele has significantly lower expression than the LA allele (Hu et al., 2006).