Skip to main content
Key Specialties
Cardiology Diabetology Endocrinology Gastroenterology Geriatrics and Gerontology Gynecology and Obstetrics Hematology Infectious Disease Internal Medicine Nephrology Neurology Oncology Pediatrics Respiratory Medicine Rheumatology Surgery
Congress Coverage
2024 ACC Congress 2023 ESMO Congress 2023 EASD Congress 2023 ERS Congress 2023 ESC Congress
Clinical Collections
Advances in Alzheimer’s

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on medication adherence

LIVE: Thursday 27th June 2024, 18:00-19:30 (CEST)
Join our expert panel to discover why you need to understand the drivers of non-adherence in your patients, and how you can optimize medication adherence in your clinics to drastically improve patient outcomes.
ADVANCED SEARCH
Log in
Top
Quality of Life Research
Published in: Quality of Life Research 10/2010

Open Access 01-12-2010

Which patient will feel down, which will be happy? The need to study the genetic disposition of emotional states

Authors: Mirjam A. G. Sprangers, Meike Bartels, Ruut Veenhoven, Frank Baas, Nicholas G. Martin, Miriam Mosing, Benjamin Movsas, Mary E. Ropka, Gen Shinozaki, Dick Swaab, The GENEQOL Consortium

Published in: Quality of Life Research | Issue 10/2010

Login to get access

Abstract

Purpose

In quality-of-life (QL) research, the genetic susceptibility of negative and positive emotions is frequently ignored, taken for granted, or treated as noise. The objectives are to describe: (1) the major findings of studies addressing the heritable and environmental causes of variation in negative and positive emotional states and (2) the major biological pathways of and genetic variants involved in these emotional states.

Methods

Literature overview.

Results

The heritability estimates for anxiety and depression are 30–40%. Related traits as neuroticism and loneliness are also highly heritable. The hypothalamo–pituitary–adrenal axis is the ‘final common pathway’ for most depressive symptoms. The many findings of investigated genes are promising but not definitive. Heritability estimates of positive emotional states range between 40 and 50%. Life satisfaction and mental health share common genetic factors with optimism and self-esteem. The prefrontal cortex is a candidate brain area for positive emotional states. Biological and genetic research into positive emotional states is scarce.

Conclusion

Genetically informative studies may provide insights into a wide variety of complex questions that traditional QL studies cannot deliver. This insight in turn will help us to design more effective supportive programs that could moderate the outcomes of genetically based predispositions.
Appendix
Available only for authorised users
Literature
1.
Aaronson, N. K., Ahmedzai, S., Bergman, B., Bullinger, M., Cull, A., Duez, N. J., et al. (1993). The European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Study Group on Quality of Life: The EORTC QLQ-C30: A quality of life instrument for use in international clinical trials in oncology. Journal of the National Cancer Institute, 85, 365–367.CrossRefPubMed
2.
Folkman, S. (2008). The case for positive emotions in the stress process. Anxiety, Stress, & Coping, 21, 3–14.CrossRef
3.
Folkman, S. (1997). Positive psychological states and coping with severe stress. Social Science Medicine, 45, 1207–1221.CrossRefPubMed
4.
Fredrickson, B. L. (1998). What good are positive emotions? Review of General Psychology, 2, 300–319.CrossRef
5.
Pressman, S. D., & Cohen, S. (2005). Does positive emotional influence health? Psychological Bulletin, 131, 925–971.CrossRefPubMed
6.
Howell, R. T., Kern, M. L., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2007). Health benefits: Meta-analytically determining the impact of well-being on objective health outcomes. Health Psychology Reviews, 1, 83–136.CrossRef
7.
De Gargino, J. P. (2004). Children’s health and the environment: A global perspective. Geneva: World Health Organization.
8.
Fowler, J. H., & Christakis, N. A. (2008). Dynamic spread of happiness in a large social network: Longitudinal analysis over 20 years in the Framingham Heart Study. British Medical Journal, 337, a2338. doi:10.​1136/​bmj.​a2338.CrossRefPubMed
9.
Wilson, I. B., & Cleary, P. D. (1995). Linking Clinical Variables with health-related quality of life. A conceptual model of patient outcomes. Journal of the American Medical Association, 273, 59–65.CrossRefPubMed
10.
Sprangers, M. A. G., Sloan, J., Barsevick, A., Chauhan, C., Dueck, A. C., Raat, H., Shi, Q., & the GENEQOL Consortium. Scientific imperatives, clinical implications, and theoretical underpinnings for the investigation of the relationship between genetic variables and patient-reported quality-of-life outcomes. Quality of Life Research, manuscript under review.
11.
Sullivan, P. F., Neale, M. C., & Kendler, K. S. (2000). Genetic epidemiology of major depression: Review and meta-analysis. American Journal of Psychiatry, 157, 1552–1562.CrossRefPubMed
12.
Hettema, J. M., Neale, M. C., & Kendler, K. S. (2001). A review and meta-analysis of the genetic epidemiology of anxiety disorders. American Journal of Psychiatry, 158, 1568–1578.CrossRefPubMed
13.
Bao, A., Meynen, G., & Swaab, D. F. (2008). The stress system in depression and neurodegeneration: Focus on the human hypothalamus. Brain Research Reviews, 57, 531–553.CrossRefPubMed
14.
Middeldorp, C. M., Cath, D. C., Van Dyck, R., & Boomsma, D. I. (2005). The co-morbidity of anxiety and depression in the perspective of genetic epidemiology. A review of twin and family studies. Psychological Medicine, 35, 611–624.CrossRefPubMed
15.
16.
Rettew, D. C., Vink, J. M., Willemsen, G., Doyle, A., Hudziak, J. J., & Boomsma, D. I. (2006). The genetic architecture of neuroticism in 3301 Dutch adolescent twins as a function of age and sex: A study from the Dutch Twin Register. Twin Research and Human Genetics, 9(1), 24–29.CrossRefPubMed
17.
Wray, N. R., Birley, A. J., Sullivan, P. F., Visscher, P. M., & Martin, N. G. (2007). Genetic and phenotypic stability of measures of neuroticism over 22 years. Twin Research and Human Genetics, 10(5), 695–702.CrossRefPubMed
18.
Boomsma, D. I., Cacioppo, J. T., Muthén, B., Asparouhov, T., & Clark, S. (2007). Longitudinal genetic analysis for loneliness in Dutch twins. Twin Research and Human Genetics, 10(1), 267–273.CrossRefPubMed
19.
Boomsma, D. I., Willemse, G., Dolan, C. V., Hawkley, L. C., & Cacioppo, J. T. (2005). Genetic and environmental contributions to loneliness in adults: The Netherlands twin register study. Behavioral Genetics, 35, 745–752.CrossRef
20.
Bartels, M., Cacioppo, J. T., Hudziak, J. J., & Boomsma, D. I. (2008). Genetic and environmental contributions to stability in loneliness throughout childhood. American Journal of Medical Genetics Part B, 147B, 385–391.CrossRef
21.
Bartels, M., van den Berg, M., Sluyter, F., Boomsma, D. I., & de Geus, E. J. C. (2003). Heritability of cortisol levels: Review and simultaneous analysis of twin studies. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 28, 121–137.CrossRefPubMed
22.
Dunlop, B. W., & Nemeroff, C. B. (2007). The role of dopamine in the pathophysiology of depression. Archives of General Psychiatry, 64, 327–337.CrossRefPubMed
23.
Lesch, K. P., Zeng, Y., Reif, A., & Gutknecht, L. (2003). Anxiety-related traits in mice with modified genes of the serotonergic pathway. European Journal of Pharmacology, 480, 185–204.CrossRefPubMed
24.
Maron, E., & Shlik, J. (2006). Serotonin function in panic Disorder: Important, but why? Neuropharmacology, 31, 1–11.
25.
Ruhe, H. G., Mason, N. S., & Schene, A. H. (2007). Mood is indirectly related to serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine levels in humans: A meta-analysis of monoamine depletion studies. Molecular Psychiatry, 12, 331–359.CrossRefPubMed
26.
Holmans, P., Zubenko, G. S., Crowe, R. R., DePaulo, J. R., Scheftner, W. A., Weissman, M. M., et al. (2004). Genomewide significant linkage to recurrent, early-onset major depressive disorder on chromosome 15q. The American Journal of Human Genetics, 74(6), 1154–1167.CrossRef
27.
Holmans, P., Weissman, M. M., Zubenko, G. S., Scheftner, W. A., Crowe, R. R., DePaulo, J. R., et al. (2007). Genetics of recurrent early-onset major depression (GenRED): Final genome scan report. American Journal of Psychiatry, 164(2), 248–258.CrossRefPubMed
28.
McGuffin, P., Knight, J., Breen, G., Brewster, S., Boyd, P. R., Craddock, N., et al. (2005). Whole genome linkage scan of recurrent depressive disorder from the depression network study. Human Molecular Genetics, 14(22), 3337–3345.CrossRefPubMed
29.
McGuffin, P., Cohen, S., & Knight, J. (2007). Homing in on depression genes. American Journal of Psychiatry, 164(2), 195–197.CrossRefPubMed
30.
López-León, S., Janssens, A. C. J. W., Ladd, A. M. G.-Z., Del-Favero, J., Claes, S. J., Oostra, B. A., et al. (2008). Meta-analyses of genetic studies on major depressive disorder. Molecular Psychiatry, 13, 772–785.CrossRefPubMed
31.
Sullivan, P. F., De Geus, E. J. C., Willemsen, G., James, M. R., Smit, J. H., Zandbelt, T., et al. (2009). Genome-wide association for major depressive disorder: A possible role for the presynaptic protein piccolo. Molecular Psychiatry, 14(4), 359–375.CrossRefPubMed
32.
Bochdanovits, Z., Verhage, M., Smit, A. B., de Geus, E. J. C., Posthuma, D., Boomsma, D. I., et al. (2009). Joint reanalysis of 29 correlated SNPs supports the role of PCLO/Piccolo as a causal risk factor for major depressive disorder. Molecular Psychiatry, 14, 650–652.CrossRefPubMed
33.
Muglia, P., Tozzi, F., Galwey, N. W., Francks. C., Upmanyu, R., Kong, X. Q., et al. (2008). Genome-wide association study of recurrent major depressive disorder in two European case-control cohorts. Molecular Psychiatry, December 23, epub ahead of print.
34.
Belmaker, R. H., & Agam, G. (2008). Major depressive disorder. New England Journal of Medicine, 358, 55–68.CrossRefPubMed
35.
Risch, N., Herrell, R., Lehner, T., Liang, K. Y., Eaves, L., Hoh, J., et al. (2009). Interaction between the serotonin transporter gene (5-HTTLPR), stressful life events, and risk of depression a meta-analysis. JAMA, 301(23), 2462–2471.CrossRefPubMed
36.
Bergeman, C. S., Plomin, R., Pedersen, N. L., & McClearn, G. E. (1991). Genetic mediation of the relationship between social support and psychological well-being. Psychology Aging, 6, 640–646.CrossRef
37.
Harris, J. P., Pedersen, N. L., Stacey, C., McClearn, G. E., & Nesselroade, J. R. (1992). Age differences in the etiology of the relationship between life satisfaction and self-rated health. Journal of Aging and Health, 4, 349–368.CrossRef
38.
Lykken, D. T., & Tellegen, A. (1996). Happiness is a stochastic phenomenon. Psychological Science, 7, 186–189.CrossRef
39.
Newman, D. L., Tellegen, A., & Bouchard, T. J., Jr. (1998). Individual differences in adult ego development: Sources of influence in twins reared apart. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 74(4), 985–995.CrossRefPubMed
40.
Roysamb, E., Harris, J., Mangus, P., Vitterso, J., & Tambs, K. (2002). Subjective well being. Sex specific effects of genetic and environmental factors. Personality and Individual Differences, 32, 211–223.CrossRef
41.
Roysamb, E., Tambs, K., Reichborn-Kjennerud, T., Neale, M. C., & Harris, J. R. (2003). Happiness and health: Environmental and genetic contributions to the relationship between subjective well-being, perceived health, and somatic illness. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 85(6), 1136–1146.CrossRefPubMed
42.
Stubbe, J. H., Posthuma, D., Boomsma, D. I., & De Geus, E. J. (2005). Heritability of life satisfaction in adults: A twin-family study. Psychological Medicine, 35(11), 1581–1588.CrossRefPubMed
43.
Tellegen, A., Lykken, D. T., Bouchard, T. J., Wilcox, K. J., Rich, S., & Segal, N. L. (1988). Personality similarity in twins reared apart and together. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 54, 1031–1039.CrossRefPubMed
44.
Nes, R. B., Røysamb, E., Tambs, K., Harris, J. R., & Reichborn-Kjennerud, T. (2006). Subjective well-being: Genetic and environmental contributions to stability and change. Psychological Medicine, 36, 1033–1042.CrossRefPubMed
45.
46.
Boardman, J. D., Blalock, C. L., & Button, T. M. M. (2008). Sex differences in the heritability of resilience. Twin Research and Human Genetics, 11, 12–27.CrossRefPubMed
47.
Kessler, R. C., Gilman, S. E., Thornton, L. M., & Kendler, K. S. (2004). Health, well-being, and social responsibility in the MIDUS twin and sibling subsamples. In O. G. Brim, C. D. Ryff, & R. C. Kessler (Eds.), How healthy are we?: A national study of well-being at midlife (pp. 124–152). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
48.
Caprara, G. V., Fagnani, C., Alessandri, G., Steca, P., Gigantesco, A., Sforza, L. L. C., et al. (2009). Human optimal functioning: The genetics of positive orientation towards self, life, and the future. Behavioral Genetics, 39, 277–284.CrossRef
49.
Mosing, M. A., Zietsch, B. P., Shekar, S. N., Wright, M. J., Martin, N. G. (2009). Genetic and environmental influences on optimism and its relationship to mental and self-rated health: A study of aging twins. Behavioral Genetics, published online 18 July. doi:10.​1007/​s10519-009-9287-7.
50.
Scheier, M. F., & Carver, C. S. (1985). Optimism, coping, and health-assessment and implications of generalized outcome expectancies. Health Psychology, 4(3), 219–247.CrossRefPubMed
51.
Matthews, K. A., Raikkonen, K., Sutton-Tyrrell, K., & Kuller, L. H. (2004). Optimistic attitudes protect against progression of carotid atherosclerosis and healthy middle-aged women. Psychosomatic Medicine, 66(5), 640–644.CrossRefPubMed
52.
Trunzo, J. J., & Pinto, B. M. (2003). Social support as a mediator of optimism and distress in breast cancer survivors. Journal of Consulting Clinical Psychology, 71(4), 805–811.CrossRef
53.
Kringelbach, M. L., O’Doherty, J., Rolls, E. T., & Andrews, C. (2003). Activation of the human orbitofrontal cortex to a liquid food stimulus is correlated with its subjective pleasantness. Cerebral Cortex, 13, 1064–1071.CrossRefPubMed
54.
Rolls, E. T., Kringelbach, M. L., & de Araujo, I. E. (2003). Different representations of pleasant and unpleasant odours in the human brain. European Journal of Neuroscience, 18, 695–703.CrossRefPubMed
55.
Rolls, E. T., O’Doherty, J., Kringelbach, M. L., Francis, S., Bowtell, R., & McGlone, F. (2003). Representations of pleasant and painful touch in the human orbitofrontal and cingulate cortices. Cerebral Cortex, 13, 308–317.CrossRefPubMed
56.
Davidson, R. J. (2004). What does the prefrontal cortex ‘do’ in emotional: Perspectives on frontal EEG asymmetry research. Biological Psychology, 67, 219–233.CrossRefPubMed
57.
Tomarken, A. J., Davidson, R. J., Wheeler, R. E., & Doss, R. C. (1992). Individual differences in anterior brain asymmetry and fundamental dimensions of emotion. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 62, 676–687.CrossRefPubMed
58.
Burgdorf, J., & Panksepp, J. (2006). The neurobiology of positive emotions. Neuroscience Biobehavioral Review, 30(2), 173–187.CrossRef
59.
Steptoe, A., & Wardle, J. (2005). Positive affect and biological function in everyday life. Neurobiology of Aging, 26, 108–112.CrossRefPubMed
60.
Steptoe, A., Wardle, J., & Marmot, M. (2005). Positive affect and health-related neuroendocrine, cardiovascular, and inflammatory processes. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA, 102, 6508–6512.CrossRef
61.
Steptoe, A., O’Donnell, K., Badrick, E., Kumari, M., & Marmot, M. (2008). Neuroendocrine and inflammatory factors associated with positive affect in healthy men and women: The Whitehall II study. American Journal of Epidemiology, 167, 96–102.CrossRefPubMed
62.
Lyubomirsky, S., Sheldon, K. M., & Schkade, D. A. (2005). Pursuing happiness: The architecture of sustainable change. Review of General Psychology, 9, 111–131.CrossRef
63.
Bartels, M., & Hudziak, J. J. (2007). Genetically informative designs in the study of resilience in developmental psychopathology. Child Adolescents Psychiatric Clinical North America, 16, 323–339.CrossRef
64.
Plomin, R., DeFries, J. C., McClearn, G. E., & McGuffin, P. (2001). Behavioral genetics (4th ed., pp. 1–449). New York: Worth Publishers and W. H. Freeman and Company.
Metadata
Title
Which patient will feel down, which will be happy? The need to study the genetic disposition of emotional states
Authors
Mirjam A. G. Sprangers
Meike Bartels
Ruut Veenhoven
Frank Baas
Nicholas G. Martin
Miriam Mosing
Benjamin Movsas
Mary E. Ropka
Gen Shinozaki
Dick Swaab
The GENEQOL Consortium
Publication date
01-12-2010
Publisher
Springer Netherlands
Published in
Quality of Life Research / Issue 10/2010
Print ISSN: 0962-9343
Electronic ISSN: 1573-2649
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11136-010-9652-2

Other articles of this Issue 10/2010

Quality of Life Research 10/2010 Go to the issue

BriefCommunication

Reliability and validity of the Iranian version of the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory™ 4.0 Generic Core Scales in adolescents

Commentary

Optimists doing something different: a patient’s view of geneQOL research

OriginalPaper

Health-related Quality of Life of Thai children with HIV infection: a comparison of the Thai Quality of Life in Children (ThQLC) with the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory™ version 4.0 (PedsQL™ 4.0) Generic Core Scales

OriginalPaper

The Generation R study: a candidate gene study and genome-wide association study (GWAS) on health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of mothers and young children

OriginalPaper

Biological pathways and genetic variables involved in pain

OriginalPaper

I’m so tired: biological and genetic mechanisms of cancer-related fatigue