Skip to main content
NCBI home page
American Journal of Human Genetics logoLink to American Journal of Human Genetics
. 1999 Sep;65(3):593–598. doi: 10.1086/302562

Monoamine oxidase in neuropsychiatry and behavior.

J C Shih 1, R F Thompson 1
PMCID: PMC1377964  PMID: 10441564

Full Text

The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (165.1 KB).

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Bach A. W., Lan N. C., Johnson D. L., Abell C. W., Bembenek M. E., Kwan S. W., Seeburg P. H., Shih J. C. cDNA cloning of human liver monoamine oxidase A and B: molecular basis of differences in enzymatic properties. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1988 Jul;85(13):4934–4938. doi: 10.1073/pnas.85.13.4934. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Berger W., Meindl A., van de Pol T. J., Cremers F. P., Ropers H. H., Döerner C., Monaco A., Bergen A. A., Lebo R., Warburg M. Isolation of a candidate gene for Norrie disease by positional cloning. Nat Genet. 1992 Jun;1(3):199–203. doi: 10.1038/ng0692-199. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Brunner H. G., Nelen M. R., van Zandvoort P., Abeling N. G., van Gennip A. H., Wolters E. C., Kuiper M. A., Ropers H. H., van Oost B. A. X-linked borderline mental retardation with prominent behavioral disturbance: phenotype, genetic localization, and evidence for disturbed monoamine metabolism. Am J Hum Genet. 1993 Jun;52(6):1032–1039. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Brunner H. G., Nelen M., Breakefield X. O., Ropers H. H., van Oost B. A. Abnormal behavior associated with a point mutation in the structural gene for monoamine oxidase A. Science. 1993 Oct 22;262(5133):578–580. doi: 10.1126/science.8211186. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Camarena B., Cruz C., de la Fuente J. R., Nicolini H. A higher frequency of a low activity-related allele of the MAO-A gene in females with obsessive-compulsive disorder. Psychiatr Genet. 1998 Winter;8(4):255–257. doi: 10.1097/00041444-199808040-00010. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Cases O., Lebrand C., Giros B., Vitalis T., De Maeyer E., Caron M. G., Price D. J., Gaspar P., Seif I. Plasma membrane transporters of serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine mediate serotonin accumulation in atypical locations in the developing brain of monoamine oxidase A knock-outs. J Neurosci. 1998 Sep 1;18(17):6914–6927. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.18-17-06914.1998. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Cases O., Seif I., Grimsby J., Gaspar P., Chen K., Pournin S., Müller U., Aguet M., Babinet C., Shih J. C. Aggressive behavior and altered amounts of brain serotonin and norepinephrine in mice lacking MAOA. Science. 1995 Jun 23;268(5218):1763–1766. doi: 10.1126/science.7792602. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Cases O., Vitalis T., Seif I., De Maeyer E., Sotelo C., Gaspar P. Lack of barrels in the somatosensory cortex of monoamine oxidase A-deficient mice: role of a serotonin excess during the critical period. Neuron. 1996 Feb;16(2):297–307. doi: 10.1016/s0896-6273(00)80048-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Chen Z. Y., Denney R. M., Breakefield X. O. Norrie disease and MAO genes: nearest neighbors. Hum Mol Genet. 1995;4(Spec No):1729–1737. doi: 10.1093/hmg/4.suppl_1.1729. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Chen Z. Y., Powell J. F., Hsu Y. P., Breakefield X. O., Craig I. W. Organization of the human monoamine oxidase genes and long-range physical mapping around them. Genomics. 1992 Sep;14(1):75–82. doi: 10.1016/s0888-7543(05)80286-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Coron B., Campion D., Thibaut F., Dollfus S., Preterre P., Langlois S., Vasse T., Moreau V., Martin C., Charbonnier F. Association study between schizophrenia and monoamine oxidase A and B DNA polymorphisms. Psychiatry Res. 1996 Jun 1;62(3):221–226. doi: 10.1016/0165-1781(96)02933-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Craddock N., Daniels J., Roberts E., Rees M., McGuffin P., Owen M. J. No evidence for allelic association between bipolar disorder and monoamine oxidase A gene polymorphisms. Am J Med Genet. 1995 Aug 14;60(4):322–324. doi: 10.1002/ajmg.1320600412. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. DeVries A. C., Young W. S., 3rd, Nelson R. J. Reduced aggressive behaviour in mice with targeted disruption of the oxytocin gene. J Neuroendocrinol. 1997 May;9(5):363–368. doi: 10.1046/j.1365-2826.1997.t01-1-00589.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Deckert J., Catalano M., Syagailo Y. V., Bosi M., Okladnova O., Di Bella D., Nöthen M. M., Maffei P., Franke P., Fritze J. Excess of high activity monoamine oxidase A gene promoter alleles in female patients with panic disorder. Hum Mol Genet. 1999 Apr;8(4):621–624. doi: 10.1093/hmg/8.4.621. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Devor E. J., Cloninger C. R., Hoffman P. L., Tabakoff B. Association of monoamine oxidase (MAO) activity with alcoholism and alcoholic subtypes. Am J Med Genet. 1993 Dec 15;48(4):209–213. doi: 10.1002/ajmg.1320480407. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Fowler J. S., Volkow N. D., Wang G. J., Pappas N., Logan J., MacGregor R., Alexoff D., Shea C., Schlyer D., Wolf A. P. Inhibition of monoamine oxidase B in the brains of smokers. Nature. 1996 Feb 22;379(6567):733–736. doi: 10.1038/379733a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Fowler J. S., Volkow N. D., Wang G. J., Pappas N., Logan J., Shea C., Alexoff D., MacGregor R. R., Schlyer D. J., Zezulkova I. Brain monoamine oxidase A inhibition in cigarette smokers. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1996 Nov 26;93(24):14065–14069. doi: 10.1073/pnas.93.24.14065. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Gade R., Muhleman D., Blake H., MacMurray J., Johnson P., Verde R., Saucier G., Comings D. E. Correlation of length of VNTR alleles at the X-linked MAOA gene and phenotypic effect in Tourette syndrome and drug abuse. Mol Psychiatry. 1998 Jan;3(1):50–60. doi: 10.1038/sj.mp.4000326. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Gogos J. A., Morgan M., Luine V., Santha M., Ogawa S., Pfaff D., Karayiorgou M. Catechol-O-methyltransferase-deficient mice exhibit sexually dimorphic changes in catecholamine levels and behavior. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1998 Aug 18;95(17):9991–9996. doi: 10.1073/pnas.95.17.9991. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Grimsby J., Chen K., Wang L. J., Lan N. C., Shih J. C. Human monoamine oxidase A and B genes exhibit identical exon-intron organization. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1991 May 1;88(9):3637–3641. doi: 10.1073/pnas.88.9.3637. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Grimsby J., Toth M., Chen K., Kumazawa T., Klaidman L., Adams J. D., Karoum F., Gal J., Shih J. C. Increased stress response and beta-phenylethylamine in MAOB-deficient mice. Nat Genet. 1997 Oct;17(2):206–210. doi: 10.1038/ng1097-206. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Hsu Y. P., Loh E. W., Chen W. J., Chen C. C., Yu J. M., Cheng A. T. Association of monoamine oxidase A alleles with alcoholism among male Chinese in Taiwan. Am J Psychiatry. 1996 Sep;153(9):1209–1211. doi: 10.1176/ajp.153.9.1209. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Johnston J. P. Some observations upon a new inhibitor of monoamine oxidase in brain tissue. Biochem Pharmacol. 1968 Jul;17(7):1285–1297. doi: 10.1016/0006-2952(68)90066-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Kim J. J., Shih J. C., Chen K., Chen L., Bao S., Maren S., Anagnostaras S. G., Fanselow M. S., De Maeyer E., Seif I. Selective enhancement of emotional, but not motor, learning in monoamine oxidase A-deficient mice. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1997 May 27;94(11):5929–5933. doi: 10.1073/pnas.94.11.5929. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Knoll J., Magyar K. Some puzzling pharmacological effects of monoamine oxidase inhibitors. Adv Biochem Psychopharmacol. 1972;5:393–408. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  26. Kriegsfeld L. J., Dawson T. M., Dawson V. L., Nelson R. J., Snyder S. H. Aggressive behavior in male mice lacking the gene for neuronal nitric oxide synthase requires testosterone. Brain Res. 1997 Sep 19;769(1):66–70. doi: 10.1016/s0006-8993(97)00688-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  27. Ledent C., Vaugeois J. M., Schiffmann S. N., Pedrazzini T., El Yacoubi M., Vanderhaeghen J. J., Costentin J., Heath J. K., Vassart G., Parmentier M. Aggressiveness, hypoalgesia and high blood pressure in mice lacking the adenosine A2a receptor. Nature. 1997 Aug 14;388(6643):674–678. doi: 10.1038/41771. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  28. Lenders J. W., Eisenhofer G., Abeling N. G., Berger W., Murphy D. L., Konings C. H., Wagemakers L. M., Kopin I. J., Karoum F., van Gennip A. H. Specific genetic deficiencies of the A and B isoenzymes of monoamine oxidase are characterized by distinct neurochemical and clinical phenotypes. J Clin Invest. 1996 Feb 15;97(4):1010–1019. doi: 10.1172/JCI118492. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  29. Leysen J. E., Eens A., Gommeren W., van Gompel P., Wynants J., Janssen P. A. Identification of nonserotonergic [3H]ketanserin binding sites associated with nerve terminals in rat brain and with platelets; relation with release of biogenic amine metabolites induced by ketanserin- and tetrabenazine-like drugs. J Pharmacol Exp Ther. 1988 Jan;244(1):310–321. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  30. Lim L. C., Powell J., Sham P., Castle D., Hunt N., Murray R., Gill M. Evidence for a genetic association between alleles of monoamine oxidase A gene and bipolar affective disorder. Am J Med Genet. 1995 Aug 14;60(4):325–331. doi: 10.1002/ajmg.1320600413. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  31. Linnoila M., Karoum F., Cutler N. R., Potter W. Z. Temporal association between depression-dependent dyskinesias and high urinary phenylethylamine output. Biol Psychiatry. 1983 Apr;18(4):513–516. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  32. Mayford M., Bach M. E., Huang Y. Y., Wang L., Hawkins R. D., Kandel E. R. Control of memory formation through regulated expression of a CaMKII transgene. Science. 1996 Dec 6;274(5293):1678–1683. doi: 10.1126/science.274.5293.1678. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  33. Miczek K. A., Weerts E., Haney M., Tidey J. Neurobiological mechanisms controlling aggression: preclinical developments for pharmacotherapeutic interventions. Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 1994 Spring;18(1):97–110. doi: 10.1016/0149-7634(94)90040-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  34. Muramatsu T., Matsushita S., Kanba S., Higuchi S., Manki H., Suzuki E., Asai M. Monoamine oxidase genes polymorphisms and mood disorder. Am J Med Genet. 1997 Sep 19;74(5):494–496. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  35. O'Donovan M. C., Owen M. J. Candidate-gene association studies of schizophrenia. Am J Hum Genet. 1999 Sep;65(3):587–592. doi: 10.1086/302560. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  36. Ogawa S., Lubahn D. B., Korach K. S., Pfaff D. W. Aggressive behaviors of transgenic estrogen-receptor knockout male mice. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 1996 Sep 20;794:384–385. doi: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.1996.tb32549.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  37. Parsian A., Suarez B. K., Tabakoff B., Hoffman P., Ovchinnikova L., Fisher L., Cloninger C. R. Monoamine oxidases and alcoholism. I. Studies in unrelated alcoholics and normal controls. Am J Med Genet. 1995 Oct 9;60(5):409–416. doi: 10.1002/ajmg.1320600511. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  38. Parsian A., Todd R. D. Genetic association between monoamine oxidase and manic-depressive illness: comparison of relative risk and haplotype relative risk data. Am J Med Genet. 1997 Sep 19;74(5):475–479. doi: 10.1002/(sici)1096-8628(19970919)74:5<475::aid-ajmg3>3.0.co;2-n. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  39. Ramboz S., Saudou F., Amara D. A., Belzung C., Segu L., Misslin R., Buhot M. C., Hen R. 5-HT1B receptor knock out--behavioral consequences. Behav Brain Res. 1996;73(1-2):305–312. doi: 10.1016/0166-4328(96)00119-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  40. Reich T., Hinrichs A., Culverhouse R., Bierut L. Genetic studies of alcoholism and substance dependence. Am J Hum Genet. 1999 Sep;65(3):599–605. doi: 10.1086/302561. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  41. Roth B. L., McLean S., Zhu X. Z., Chuang D. M. Characterization of two [3H]ketanserin recognition sites in rat striatum. J Neurochem. 1987 Dec;49(6):1833–1838. doi: 10.1111/j.1471-4159.1987.tb02444.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  42. Sabol S. Z., Hu S., Hamer D. A functional polymorphism in the monoamine oxidase A gene promoter. Hum Genet. 1998 Sep;103(3):273–279. doi: 10.1007/s004390050816. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  43. Shih J. C., Chen K., Ridd M. J. Monoamine oxidase: from genes to behavior. Annu Rev Neurosci. 1999;22:197–217. doi: 10.1146/annurev.neuro.22.1.197. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  44. Shih J. C. Molecular basis of human MAO A and B. Neuropsychopharmacology. 1991 Jan;4(1):1–7. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  45. Simpson G. M., Shih J. C., Chen K., Flowers C., Kumazawa T., Spring B. Schizophrenia, monoamine oxidase activity, and cigarette smoking. Neuropsychopharmacology. 1999 Apr;20(4):392–394. doi: 10.1016/S0893-133X(98)00119-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  46. Sims K. B., de la Chapelle A., Norio R., Sankila E. M., Hsu Y. P., Rinehart W. B., Corey T. J., Ozelius L., Powell J. F., Bruns G. Monoamine oxidase deficiency in males with an X chromosome deletion. Neuron. 1989 Jan;2(1):1069–1076. doi: 10.1016/0896-6273(89)90231-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  47. Vanyukov M. M., Moss H. B., Yu L. M., Deka R. A dinucleotide repeat polymorphism at the gene for monoamine oxidase A and measures of aggressiveness. Psychiatry Res. 1995 Nov 29;59(1-2):35–41. doi: 10.1016/0165-1781(95)02719-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  48. Voncken J. W., Baram T. Z., Gonzales-Gomez I., Van Schaick H., Shih J. C., Chen K., Groffen J., Heisterkamp N. Abnormal stress response and increased fighting behavior in mice lacking the bcr gene product. Int J Mol Med. 1998 Nov;2(5):577–583. doi: 10.3892/ijmm.2.5.577. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  49. Zhu Q. S., Chen K., Shih J. C. Bidirectional promoter of human monoamine oxidase A (MAO A) controlled by transcription factor Sp1. J Neurosci. 1994 Dec;14(12):7393–7403. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.14-12-07393.1994. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  50. Zhu Q. S., Grimsby J., Chen K., Shih J. C. Promoter organization and activity of human monoamine oxidase (MAO) A and B genes. J Neurosci. 1992 Nov;12(11):4437–4446. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.12-11-04437.1992. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  51. Zhu Q., Shih J. C. An extensive repeat structure down-regulates human monoamine oxidase A promoter activity independent of an initiator-like sequence. J Neurochem. 1997 Oct;69(4):1368–1373. doi: 10.1046/j.1471-4159.1997.69041368.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from American Journal of Human Genetics are provided here courtesy of American Society of Human Genetics

RESOURCES