Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-gvvz8 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-22T17:28:14.818Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Genes, suicide and decisions

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 April 2020

P. Courtet ,
S. Guillaume ,
A. Malafosse  and
F. Jollant
P. Courtet*
Affiliation:
University Montpellier I, 34000Montpellier, France Department of Psychological Medicine and Psychiatry, pôle urgences, Lapeyronie Hospital, CHU de Montpellier, 371, avenue du Doyen-G.-Giraud, 34295Montpellier cedex 5, France Inserm U888, 34093Montpellier, France
S. Guillaume
Affiliation:
University Montpellier I, 34000Montpellier, France Department of Psychological Medicine and Psychiatry, pôle urgences, Lapeyronie Hospital, CHU de Montpellier, 371, avenue du Doyen-G.-Giraud, 34295Montpellier cedex 5, France Inserm U888, 34093Montpellier, France
A. Malafosse
Affiliation:
Inserm U888, 34093Montpellier, France Department of Psychiatry, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland Department of Medical Genetics and Laboratories, University Hospital of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
F. Jollant
Affiliation:
University Montpellier I, 34000Montpellier, France Department of Psychological Medicine and Psychiatry, pôle urgences, Lapeyronie Hospital, CHU de Montpellier, 371, avenue du Doyen-G.-Giraud, 34295Montpellier cedex 5, France Inserm U888, 34093Montpellier, France
*
*Corresponding author. Tel.: +33467338581; fax: +33467338988. E-mail address: [email protected] (P. Courtet).
Get access

Abstract

Objective

A better understanding of the pathophysiology of suicidal behaviour (SB) may enable the discovery of more specific treatments and a better identification of vulnerable patients. The vulnerability to SB appears to be underlied by genetic factors coding for traits rendering the individual less able to cope with stressing situations, and more likely to be engaged in a suicidal process.

Method

During the recent years, neuroscientific studies begun to identify potential endophenotypes.

Results

We have shown that disadvantageous decision making (DM) was involved in the vulnerability to SB. DM impairment appears to be independent of comorbid psychiatric disorders, associated with emotional dysregulation (i.e. affective lability trait and skin conductance responses), and modulated by serotonergic genotypes associated with SB. In recent fMRI studies, the region that is likely involved in DM, is overactivited in response to angry faces, suggesting a higher sensitivity to specific negative social stimuli. Deficit in risk evaluation and excessive response to specific emotional stimuli may represent key processes in the vulnerability to SB.

Conclusions

These potential endophenotypes may represent future relevant markers of vulnerability for the identification of vulnerable patients, and relevant targets for the development of new treatments.

Keywords

Suicidal behaviourDecision-makingfMRIEmotionsEndophenotypesGenetics
Type
Original article
Information
European Psychiatry , Volume 25 , Issue 5: The role of genetics in promoting suicide prevention and the mental health of the population - Nobel Conference: The role of genetics in promoting suicide prevention and the mental health of the population , June 2010 , pp. 294 - 296
Copyright
Copyright © Elsevier Masson SAS 2010

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Baud, PPersonality traits as intermediary phenotypes in suicidal behavior: genetic issues. Am J Med Genet C Semin Med Genet 133C 2005 34–42.10.1002/ajmg.c.30044CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bechara, A, Damasio, H, Tranel, D, Damasio, ARThe Iowa Gambling Task and the somatic marker hypothesis: some questions and answers. Trends Cogn Sci 2005;9:159–162.10.1016/j.tics.2005.02.002CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Courtet, P, Jollant, F, Castelnau, D, Buresi, C, Malafosse, ASuicidal behavior: relationship between phenotype and serotonergic genotype. Am J Med Genet C Semin Med Genet 2005;133:25–33.10.1002/ajmg.c.30043CrossRefGoogle Scholar
da Rocha, FF, Malloy-Diniz, L, Lage, NV, Romano-Silva, MA, de Marco, LA, Correa, HDecision-making impairment is related to serotonin transporter promoter polymorphism in a sample of patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder. Behav Brain Res 2008;195:159–163.10.1016/j.bbr.2008.05.015CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Guillaume, S, Jollant, F, Jaussent, I, Lawrence, N, Malafosse, A, Courtet, PSomatic markers and explicit knowledge are both involved in decision-making. Neuropsychologia 47(10)2009 2120–2124.10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2009.04.003CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Homberg, JR, van den Bos, R, den Heijer, E, Suer, R, Cuppen, ESerotonin transporter dosage modulates long-term decision-making in rat and human. Neuropharmacology 2008;55:80–84.10.1016/j.neuropharm.2008.04.016CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Jollant, F, Bellivier, F, Leboyer, M, Astruc, B, Torres, S, Verdier, Ret al.Impaired decision making in suicide attempters. Am J Psychiatry 162(2)2005 304–310.10.1176/appi.ajp.162.2.304CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Jollant, F, Buresi, C, Guillaume, S, Jaussent, I, Bellivier, F, Leboyer, Met al.The influence of four serotonin-related genes on decision-making in suicide attempters. Am J Med Genet B Neuropsychiatr Genet 144B 2007 615–624.10.1002/ajmg.b.30467CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Jollant, F, Guillaume, S, Jaussent, I, Bellivier, F, Leboyer, M, Castelnau, Det al.Psychiatric diagnoses and personality traits associated with disadvantageous decision-making. Eur Psychiatry 2007;22:455–461.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Jollant, F, Guillaume, S, Jaussent, I, Castelnau, D, Malafosse, A, Courtet, PImpaired decision-making in suicide attempters may increase the risk of problems in affective relationships. J Affect Disord 2007;99:59–62.10.1016/j.jad.2006.07.022CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Jollant, F, Lawrence, NS, Giampietro, V, Brammer, MJ, Fullana, MA, Drapier, Det al.Orbitofrontal cortex response to angry faces in men with histories of suicide attempts. Am J Psychiatry 2008;165:740–748.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lawrence, NS, Jollant, F, O’Daly, O, Zelaya, F, Phillips, MLDistinct roles of prefrontal cortical subregions in the Iowa Gambling Task. Cereb Cortex 2009;19:1134–1143.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lovallo, WR, Yechiam, E, Sorocco, KH, Vincent, AS, Collins, FLWorking memory and decision-making biases in young adults with a family history of alcoholism: studies from the Oklahoma family health patterns project. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 2006;30:763–773.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Malloy-Diniz, LF, Neves, FS, Abrantes, SS, Fuentes, D, Corrêa, HSuicide behavior and neuropsychological assessment of type I bipolar patients. J Affect Disord 2009;112:231–236.10.1016/j.jad.2008.03.019CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mann, JJ, Huang, YY, Underwood, MD, Kassir, SA, Oppenheim, S, Kelly, TMet al.A serotonin transporter gene promoter polymorphism (5-HTTLPR) and prefrontal cortical binding in major depression and suicide. Arch Gen Psychiatry 2000;57:729–738.10.1001/archpsyc.57.8.729CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Maurex, L, Zaboli, G, Wiens, S, Asberg, M, Leopardi, R, Ohman, AEmotionally controlled decision-making and a gene variant related to serotonin synthesis in women with borderline personality disorder. Scand J Psychol 2009;50:5–10.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Monkul, ES, Hatch, JP, Nicoletti, MA, Spence, S, Brambilla, P, Lacerda, ALet al.Fronto-limbic brain structures in suicidal and non-suicidal female patients with major depressive disorder. Mol Psychiatry 2007;12:360–366.10.1038/sj.mp.4001919CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Oldershaw, A, Grima, E, Jollant, F, Richards, C, Simic, M, Taylor, Let al.Decision making and problem solving in adolescents who deliberately self-harm. Psychol Med 2009;39:95–104.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Oli, E, Guillaume, S, Jaussent, I, Courtet, P, Jollant, FHigher psychological pain during a major depressive episode may be a factor of vulnerability to suicidal ideation and act. J Affect Disord 120(1–3)2010 226–230.10.1016/j.jad.2009.03.013CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Oquendo, MA, Placidi, GP, Malone, KM, Campbell, C, Keilp, J, Brodsky, Bet al.Positron emission tomography of regional brain metabolic responses to a serotonergic challenge and lethality of suicide attempts in major depression. Arch Gen Psychiatry 2003;60:14–22.10.1001/archpsyc.60.1.14CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Submit a response

Comments

No Comments have been published for this article.