Ke Xu

TL;DR: Three genetic variants of the gene encoding catecholamine-O-methyltransferase determine COMT activity in humans that inversely correlates with pain sensitivity and the risk of developing TMD.

TL;DR: The HTTLPR L(A)L( a) genotype exerts a moderate effect on risk of OCD, which crystallizes the evidence that the HTT gene has a role in OCD.

TL;DR: Individuals homozygous for themet158 allele of the catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) polymorphism showed diminished regional μ-opioid system responses to pain compared with heterozygotes, and these effects were accompanied by higher sensory and affective ratings of pain and a more negative internal affective state.

TL;DR: It is shown that haplotype-driven NPY expression predicts brain responses to emotional and stress challenges and also inversely correlates with trait anxiety, consistent with the function of NPY as an anxiolytic peptide and help to explain inter-individual variation in resiliency to stress.

TL;DR: It is demonstrated that gender, ethnicity and temperament contribute to individual variation in thermal and cold pain sensitivity by interactions with TRPV1 and OPRD1 single nucleotide polymorphisms.