ABSTRACT
Public transport driving is a highly demanding activity requiring high skills and responsibility. Shift work, problems with regular sleep schedule negatively impact psychomotor reactions, cognitive functions and ability to react appropriately to the changing environment. For professional drivers all these factors may lead to the increased risk of a road accident. Individual differences in chronotype, cognitive and emotional control are partially genetically determined. AIM: Our study aimed to investigate the possible associations between chronotype parameters, traffic accident history and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in a number of genes: RORA (rs1159814), CLOCK (rs12649507), PER3 (rs2640909), NPSR1 (rs324981), NPAS2 (rs4851377), DRD3 (rs6280), SLC6A3 (rs6347), DBH (rs1611125). MATERIAL AND METHODS: We have studied 303 professional bus drivers working on rolling shifts in the Moscow region who had a recorded history of road accidents. The studied group was genotyped on selected SNPs and has filled out two chronotype questionnaires: MCTQ and shortened SWPAQ (Putilov A.A, 2014). RESULTS: A mixed chronotype with high levels of morning and evening alertness prevailed in the group. A prominent social jetlag caused by shift work was found. For SNP in PER3 gene there was an association with morning activation. SNP in CLOCK gene was associated with social jetlag and the risk to cause a crash. Minor alleles of SNPs in NPSR1and SLC6A3 correlated with later chronotype and increased risk of a road accident. We suppose that these polymorphisms may be amongst the genetic factors connecting chronotype and road accident risk.
Subject(s)
Accidents, Traffic , Biological Clocks , Circadian Rhythm , Polymorphism, Genetic , Accidents , Biological Clocks/genetics , Circadian Rhythm/genetics , Genes , Humans , Jet Lag Syndrome , MoscowABSTRACT
Bus driving is a highly responsible profession. It requires constant engagement of attention and cog- nitive resources as well as vigilance and resistance to disruption of sleep- rhythms. There is ongoing research of genetic correlates of these individual characteristics. The aim of this study is to search for possible connections between single nucleotide polymorphisms and the history of road traffic accidents in professional bus driving. 299 professional drives working on rolling shifts with recorded history of traffic accidents took part in the study. Polymorphisms in circadian rhythm-, cognitive and emotional function-related genes were genotyped: CLOCK (rs 12649507), RORA (rs1159814), NPAS2 (rs4851377), NPSR1 (rs324981), PER3 (rs2640909), DRD3 (rs6280), SLC6A3 (rs6347), DBH(rs1611125). Significant associations for polymorphisms in CLOCK, NPSR1 and SLC6A3 with traffic crash parameters were found. We suppose that they are mediated by the difference in chronotype and sleep deprivation resistance for CLOCKand cognitive and emotional control for NPSRI and SLC6A3 polymorphisms.
