NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - An analysis of serotonin promoter, transporter and receptor genes in patients with Alzheimer’s disease has shown that a receptor gene mutation may contribute to psychosis, agitation and aggression in these patients.
At the University of California, Los Angeles, researchers led by Dr. Frederic Assal analyzed Neuropsychiatric Inventory scores and blood samples from 96 patients with Alzheimer’s disease.
In the August issue of Archives of Neurology, the investigators report: “The 102T genotype of the 5-HT2A receptor was significantly associated with delusions and agitation/aggression.” Aggression/agitation and delusion scores were higher in patients who were homozygous for the 102T genotype than in those who were heterozygous.
The researchers had also expected to find that specific neuropsychiatric symptoms in their patients could be linked with 5-HT2AR, 5-HT2CR, and 5-HTTPR polymorphisms. But, they write, “post hoc analyses showed that we had less than 80% power to test these associations in our study.” Larger studies will be needed to address these possible relationships.
The investigators note that because their analysis was cross-sectional, patients’ behaviors were not followed over time. “Since neuropsychiatric symptoms are expressed preferentially for a given patient at a critical window during the evolution of the disease, such a genetic predisposition could be missed because the...symptoms would not be expressed during the time of assessment,” the authors warn.
“Future association studies of neuropsychiatric symptoms should measure these repeatedly across the course of the disease.”
Source: Arch Neurol 2004;61:1249-1253 [ Google search on this article ]
MeSH Headings:Membrane Proteins: Receptors, Cell Surface: Receptors, Serotonin: Receptors, Neurotransmitter: Receptors, Biogenic AmineCopyright © 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.
