Greater trait anger-out is associated with elevated pain responsiveness. Previous work suggests this effect may be mediated by deficient endogenous opioid analgesia, possibly reflecting diminished opioid receptor sensitivity. The A118G single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) of the mu opioid receptor gene influences both opioid receptor sensitivity and clinical responsiveness to opioid analgesics. Therefore, this study tested whether this SNP either mediated or moderated the effects of anger-out on postsurgical pain outcomes. Forty-eight patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft surgery provided genetic samples, and completed measures of anger-out and postsurgical pain. Postsurgical opioid analgesic use was also recorded. Anger-out was positively associated with postsurgical pain ratings (p < 0.05). Anger-out was not associated with A118G SNP status (p > 0.10), suggesting the latter is unlikely to mediate anger-out's pain-related effects. A significant anger-out × A118G interaction was observed on analgesic use (p < 0.05), due to a much stronger positive relationship between anger-out and analgesic demands in patient with the A118G SNP (b = 0.53) than those with the wild-type receptor (b = 0.07). These results suggest that the A118G SNP may moderate but not mediate the effects of anger-out on postoperative pain responses.
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This project was supported in part by grants NS046694 (S.B. and O.Y.C.), MH067244 (J.W.B.), and HL04476 (BSD), and General Clinical Research Center Grant #RR-00095 from the National Institutes of Health. The authors gratefully acknowledge the contributions of Rand S. Valery, BS (laboratory manager), Gwen Wissel, BA (research technician), Lisa Rush, MS (data manager), and Richard Call, BS (research technician) from the Department of Anesthesiology, Vanderbilt University; and the Vanderbilt University Program in Human Genetics DNA Resources Core for their fine technical and informatics assistance
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Bruehl, S., Chung, O.Y., Donahue, B.S. et al. Anger Regulation Style, Postoperative Pain, and Relationship to the A118G Mu Opioid Receptor Gene Polymorphism: A Preliminary Study. J Behav Med 29, 161–169 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10865-005-9030-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10865-005-9030-7