Allelic variation in dopamine D2 receptor gene is associated with attentional impulsiveness on the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS-11).

<b>Objectives:</b> Previous studies have postulated that noradrenergic and/or dopaminergic gene variations are likely to underlie individual differences in impulsiveness, however, few have shown this. The current study examined the relationship between catecholamine gene variants and self-reported impulsivity, as measured by the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (Version 11; BIS-11) <b>Methods:</b> Six hundred and seventy seven (N = 677) non-clinical adults completed the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS-11). DNA was analysed for a set of 142 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) across 20 autosomal catecholamine genes. Association was tested using an additive regression model with permutation testing used to control for the influence of multiple comparison. <b>Results:</b> Analysis revealed an influence of rs4245146 of the dopamine D2 receptor (DRD2) gene on the BIS-11 attention first-order factor, such that self-reported attentional impulsiveness increased in an additive fashion with each copy of the T allele. <b>Conclusions:</b> These findings provide preliminary evidence that allelic variation in DRD2 may influence impulsiveness by increasing the propensity for attentional lapses.