CYP2C19 expression modulates affective functioning and hippocampal subiculum volume—a large single-center community-dwelling cohort study

Given controversial findings of reduced depressive symptom severity and increased hippocampus volume in CYP2C19 poor metabolizers, we sought to provide empirical evidence from a large-scale single-center longitudinal cohort in the community-dwelling adult population—Colaus|PsyCoLaus in Lausanne, Switzerland (n = 4152). We looked for CYP2C19 genotype-related behavioral and brain anatomy patterns using a comprehensive set of psychometry, water diffusion- and relaxometry-based magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data (BrainLaus, n = 1187). Our statistical models tested for differential associations between poor metabolizer and other metabolizer status with imaging-derived indices of brain volume and tissue properties that explain individuals’ current and lifetime mood characteristics. The observed association between CYP2C19 genotype and lifetime affective status showing higher functioning scores in poor metabolizers, was mainly driven by female participants (ß = 3.9, p = 0.010). There was no difference in total hippocampus volume between poor metabolizer and other metabolizer, though there was higher subiculum volume in the right hippocampus of poor metabolizers (ß = 0.03, p(FDRcorrected) = 0.036). Our study supports the notion of association between mood phenotype and CYP2C19 genotype, however, finds no evidence for concomitant hippocampus volume differences, with the exception of the right subiculum.