The aim of the present study was to examine the role of dopamine D3 receptor on the anxiety-like and depression-like behaviors induced by immobilization stress.
Altogether, 10 representative variants covering 95.4% of DRD3 gene variation were investigated for association with response to ECT in a sample of 104 (71 female, 33 male) Caucasian patients with pharmacorefractory major depression.
Direct associations were identified between the dopamine receptor 3 (DRD3) BalI polymorphism and depression; the dopamine receptor 1 (DRD1) and dopamine transporter gene 3' VNTR polymorphisms and aberrant motor behavior; the DRD4 VNTR and sleep disturbances; and the SERT gene VNTR 5HTTLPR and apathy items.
Six genes were identified as of interest for a follow-up, based on the strength of the association and based on the interest as potential candidate target for developing new treatment for depression: Solute Carrier Family 4 Member 10 (SLC4A10), Dipeptidyl Peptidase IV (DPP4), Dopamine Receptor D3 (DRD3), Zinc Finger Protein 80 (ZNF80), Nitric Oxide Synthase 2A (NOS2A) and Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor-Gamma, Coactivator 1, Alpha (PPARGC1A).
In a sample of 308 Chinese Han patients with major depressive disorder, 13 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in coding regions of six genes (MAOA, SLC6A2, TH, COMT, DRD2, DRD3) with minor allele frequencies >5% were successfully genotyped from an initial series of 35 SNPs in 11 candidate genes associated with catecholamine neurotransmission.
Associations were revealed between DRD3 and elation, and between DRD4 with agitation/aggression and with depression; however, these findings do not remain significant after correction for multiple testing.
Depression and psychotic symptoms that occur in a large proportion of AD patients have been associated with monoamine genes coding for metabolic enzymes (COMT), transporters (5-HTTLPR) and receptors (DRD1; DRD3).
Preliminary evidence for an association between a dopamine D3 receptor gene variant and obsessive-compulsive personality disorder in patients with major depression.
The dopamine D3 receptor gene is of potential interest in the physiopathology of affective disorder because of its expression pattern in brain structures controlling various aspects of behaviour, cognition and emotions.
We conducted a multicenter study of families with mood disorders, to investigate a possible linkage with genes coding for dopamine receptor D2, dopamine receptor D3 and tyrosine hydroxylase (TH).
The aim of this study was to investigate whether genetic polymorphisms in three dopamine-related genes (the dopamine receptor 2 (DRD2), dopamine receptor 3 (DRD3), and the dopamine transporter (SLC6A3) gene) were associated with delirium.
Without correction for multiple testing, we found a significantly increased allele frequency of a common DRD3 gene variant expressing a serine at position 9 in the extracellular N-terminal part of the receptor protein in 55 alcohol-dependent individuals with delirium (chi 2 = 4.1, df = 1, p = 0.042).
We conclude that neither the COMT nor DRD3 polymorphisms are associated with anxiety, depression, or alcohol abuse.Am.J. Med.Genet.(Neuropsychiatr.Genet.)96:102-107, 2000
Linkage of bipolar disorder and recurrent depression to the DRD3 gene was tested using a series of autosomal dominant and recessive models with varying penetrance levels.