The SLC6A3 3′-UTR VNTR and intron 8 VNTR polymorphisms association in the time estimation

Objective The present study investigated the association of 3′-UTR VNTR and intron 8 VNTR polymorphisms with a time estimation task performance. Materials and methods One hundred and eight men in a Brazilian Northeast population (18–32 years old) participated in the experiment. The 3′-UTR VNTR and intron 8 VNTR polymorphisms were associated alone and combined to absolute error (AE) and relative error (RE) in a time estimation task (target duration: 1 s, 4 s, 7 s and 9 s). Results We found an association of the behavioral variable with intron 8 VNTR for the time intervals of 1 s and 9 s ( p < 0.001) and polymorphisms combinatorial effect for 1 s ( p ≤ 0.05). Conclusion The intron 8 VNTR polymorphism and the combinatorial effect can modulate the time estimate in the domain of supra seconds, and thus our study indicates a role of the dopamine transporter in the neurobiological areas related to the time intervals judgment.