In a collaborative study with Professor Lea Williams from the University of Sydney at Westmead Hospital and Assoc Professor Evian Gordon from the Brain Resource Company, Dr Carol Dobson-Stone and Professor Peter Schofield have investigated how polymorphisms within genes may give rise to variations in normal brain functions. Using cognitive, psychological and neuroimaging data on a large collection of normal individuals, they have investigated the role of several genes known to be involved in brain disorders. This included the genes for brain derived neurotrophic factor, monoamine oxidase A, apolipoprotein E, catechol-O-methyltransferase. They have shown, for example, the contribution of an individual set of genetic variants such as the apolipoprotein E alleles on cognitive performance and dynamic neural activity over six decades of normal life. And they have demonstrated how genetic polymorphisms in brain derived neurotrophic factor can impact brain function and memory and how this correlates with depressive features in a normal population. Finally, these collaborative studies have demonstrated an association between monoamine oxidase A polymorphisms with emotional and behavioural brain markers and their relationship to antisocial and psychopathic personality traits.
