Researchers at the Technical University of Dresden and Ruhr-Universität Bochum discovered that some women, due to higher dopamine levels in their brain, might be more prone to being procrastinators than others. The team used genetic analysis and questionnaires to find their results.
The team analyzed the tyrosine hydroxylase gene (TH gene) of 278 healthy men and women. They found that people’s brains contained different amounts of neurotransmitters from the catecholamine family, depending on the expression of the gene. The neurotransmitter dopamine belongs to the catecholamine family.
The team of researchers involved includes Dr. Erhan Genç, Caroline Schlüter, Larissa Arning, Christoph Fraenz, Patrick Friedrich, Dr. Marlies Pinnow, Prof. Onur Güntürkün, Prof. Christian Beste and associate professor Dr. Sebastian Ocklenburg. The group published their findings on July 3, 2019., in the journal Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience.
Dr. Genç, of the Bochum Department of Biopsychology, said:
The neurotransmitter dopamine has repeatedly been associated with increased cognitive flexibility in the past. This is not fundamentally bad but is often accompanied by increased distractibility.
In addition to analyzing the participants’ genotype data, the team used a questionnaire to record whether they were able to control their actions. Women who had poor action control were found to have a genetic predisposition towards higher dopamine levels. The researchers were unable to identify this correlation in men.
The ability to maintain a specific intention, without getting distracted by interfering factors, is what it takes to tackle a task rather than postponing it. Dopamine could be a crucial factor when it comes to performing such a task.
Schlüter said:
We assume that this makes it more difficult to maintain a distinct intention to act. Women with a higher dopamine level as a result of their genotype may tend to postpone actions because they are more distracted by environmental and other factors.
In the past, studies have revealed gender-specific differences between behavior and the expression of the TH gene. Estrogen influenced dopamine production in the brain, resulting in an increased number of specific neurons that respond to signals from the dopamine system.
Dr. Genç said:
The relationship is not yet understood fully, but the female sex hormone estrogen seems to play a role. Women may, therefore, be more susceptible to genetic differences in dopamine levels due to estrogen, which, in turn, is reflected in behavior.
The research team plans to investigate to what extent estrogen levels influence the relationship between the TH gene and procrastinators. Schlüter explains that to investigate this, it would require “taking a closer look at the menstrual cycle and the associated fluctuations in the participants’ estrogen levels.”
Additionally, the researchers aim to further their studies by analyzing other factors that the TH gene influences. The TH gene doesn’t only affect dopamine it also influences norepinephrine, which is another significant neurotransmitter from the catecholamine family. The team plans to examine the role that these two neurotransmitters play in action control. Hold on to your seats, procrastinators!
