Study links MET gene to emotion recognition

A well-known autism risk gene, MET, is involved in the ability to recognize emotions from facial expressions, according to a study published 27 April in PLoS ONE.MET is involved in a wide range of biological functions, from the migration of inhibitory brain cells called interneurons to repairing gut cells damaged by inflammation.Researchers first linked MET to autism in 2006, reporting that a common variant of the gene is more prevalent in families with a history of the disorder than in the general population². A 2009 report then suggested that MET is particularly important in individuals who have autism and gastrointestinal troubles such as abdominal pain and constipation.In the new study, researchers gave 182 healthy adults the Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test, in which participants try to identify emotions — happiness, sadness, surprise, fear or excitement — depicted on pictures of faces.The researchers also screened the participants' DNA for common variations at a particular spot in the MET gene. At a location called rs2237717, individuals carry one of three different allele pairings: CT, TT or CC. Participants with the CT genotype perform better on this test than do those with TT, the study found.Read more at...SFARI, July 2012.