Neurexin family genes (CNTNAP2 and NRXN1): their involvement in mathematics anxiety

Mathematics is acquiring ever greater significance in the modern society. Mathematics represents an everyday tool in physics, astronomy, biology, engineering, management and other fields of theoretical and applied activities. However, many people deliberately avoid choosing courses including mathematics operations. This observation might partly be explained by an increased mathematical anxiety (MA) manifested as a sense of high anxiety and awkwardness connected with difficulties in manipulations with numbers in both academic and everyday situations. The proteins encoded by contactin associated protein-like 2(CNTNAP2)and neurexin-1 genes (NRXN1) are involved in the regulation of synaptic plasticity representing one of the mechanisms of working memory and, hence, in resistance to stressful life events. The present study aimed to examine the role of NRXN1 (rs4971648, rs1045881) and CNTNAP2 (rs2710102, rs2530310) gene polymorphisms in math anxiety. The study involved 523 healthy individuals from Republic of Bashkortostan (75% women) (mean age 20.3 ± 3.87 years). MA level was assessed via Mathematics Anxiety Rating Scale- Elementary Form (MARS-E). SNPs genotyping was performed via PCR-RFLP. Statistical analysis was conducted with Plink v.1.07. According to the analysis of gene-environment interactions, individuals with the highest or lowest order of birth (b = -6.77; p = 0.021) and/or with less than one sibling (b = -10.37; P = 0.012) demonstrated an increased MA in the presence ofCNTNAP2 rs2530310 A-allele. Revealed findings evidence in modulating effect of environmental factors (i.e. «birth order» and «number of siblings in the family») in association of CNTNAP2 gene with individual variations in MA.

трудности в обучении математике, гены-кандидаты, средовые факторы, нейрексины, синаптическая пластичность, mathematics disability, candidate genes, environmental factors, neurexin, synaptic plasticity

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