Association of the circadian rhythm gene <i>ARNTL/BMAL1</i> with personal anxiety among people aged 25–64 (WHO international program “MONICA-psychosocial (MOPSY)”)

Abstract

Objective: to study associations between personal anxiety (PA) and single nucleotide polymorphism rs2278749 of the ARNTL gene among individuals aged 25–64 years living in Novosibirsk.Material and methods. Under the WHO program “MONICA-psychosocial (MOPSY)”, a random representative sample of the population aged 25–64 years in Novosibirsk was studied (725 men, mean age – 43.4±0.4 years, response – 71.3%; 710 women, mean age – 44.8±0.4 years, response – 72%). The general examination was carried out according to standard methods included in the protocol of the WHO program. To assess PA, a form of Spielberger self-assessment scales was proposed. Every second respondent underwent genotyping of the studied polymorphisms of the ARNTL gene.Results. The C/C genotype of the ARNTL gene was found in the general population in 60.7% of individuals (in 61.2% of men and 60.5% of women); the C/T genotype was found in 34.1% of individuals (in 35.1% of men and 33.5% of women) and the T/T genotype in the general population was found in 5.2% of individuals (in 3.7% of men and 6% women). The probability of PA development among carriers of the CT+TT genotypes of the ARNTL gene was 2 times higher (p<0.05) in the general population and 2.4 times (p<0.05) among women; among T allele carriers, it was 1.8 times higher (p<0.05) in the population and 2.1 times (p<0.05) among women. Carriers of the C/T genotype of the ARNTL gene were 30.3% more likely to believe that they almost always take everything too personally (p=0.024). Carriers of the C/T genotype (21%) almost always, and carriers of the T/T genotype (27.8%) often would like to be as happy as others (p=0.031). The answer “I often feel satisfaction” prevailed (38.2%) among the carriers of the C/C genotype, and the answer “Almost never feel satisfaction” among the carriers of the C/T genotype (5.9%) of the ARNTL gene (p=0.044) .Conclusion. It was found that the C/C genotype of the ARNTL gene was the most common in the population; the probability of PA occurrence among carriers of CT+TT genotypes, carriers of the T allele is 2 times higher than in carriers of other genotypes of the ARNTL gene.