NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Patients with a variation at the promoter of the serotonin transporter (5-HTT) gene have greater sensitivity to the depressogenic effects of stressful life events, according to researchers.
Dr. Kenneth S. Kendler and colleagues from Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, note that recent findings from twin studies suggest that “a functional length polymorphism in the promoter of the serotonin transporter (5-HTT) gene moderated the influence of stressful life events on depressive symptoms and major depression.”
The findings suggested that “individuals with one or two ‘short’ alleles at this polymorphism (SL and SS, respectively) were more stress-sensitive than those with two ‘long’ alleles (LL).”
The researchers sought to replicate the findings in a population-based sample of adult twins. Dr. Kendler’s group characterized the risk for major depression and generalized anxiety disorder as a function of 5-HTT genotype, sex and the stressful life events in 549 male and female twins (mean age 34.9 years). The results are published in the May issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry.
Compared with subjects with one or two long alleles (SL/LL), those with two short alleles (SS) were more sensitive to the depressogenic effect of all stressful life events.
A marked difference in risk between subjects with SS versus SL or LL genotypes was found at mild and low-moderate levels of threat. “The risk for a depressive onset is actually decreased for individuals with SL or LL genotypes when they experienced an SLE with a mild level of threat compared with no life event at all,” Dr. Kendler’s team writes.
“However, for individuals with an SS genotype, the risk for an episode of major depression is more than eight times greater in the presence of a mild or low-moderate threat event compared with months with no reported stressful life events,” they add.
The authors note that the 5-HTT genotype had no effect on the risk for generalized anxiety disorder.
Source: Arch Gen Psychiatry 2005;62:529-535. [ Google search on this article ]
MeSH Headings:Behavioral Sciences: Behavioral Symptoms: Biological Sciences: Behavioral Disciplines and Activities: Environment and Public Health: Health: Health Occupations: Health Services Administration: Life Change Events: Medicine: Physiology: Population Characteristics: Preventive Medicine: Psychological Phenomena and Processes: Psychophysiology: Public Health: Quality of Health Care: Specialties, Medical: Stress, Psychological: Epidemiologic Factors: Causality: Health Care Quality, Access, and Evaluation: Biological Sciences: Health Care: Psychiatry and PsychologyCopyright © 2002 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon. Reuters and the Reuters sphere logo are registered trademarks and trademarks of the Reuters group of companies around the world.
