Association between allelic variation of serotonin transporter function and neuroticism in anxious cluster C personality disorders.
OBJECTIVE
Association between the low-activity variant of a polymorphism in the transcriptional control region of the serotonin transporter (5-HTTLPR) and neuroticism or harm avoidance was found in several but not all studies. The authors analyzed the influence of 5-HTTLPR variants on personality disorders.


METHODS
Patients with personality disorders (N=320) and healthy volunteers (N=281) were studied with the Revised NEO Personality Inventory and the Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire. All were genotyped for 5-HTTLPR variants.


RESULTS
No differences in 5-HTTLPR genotype distribution were detected between patients with cluster B and C personality disorders and comparison subjects. In contrast, among patients with a cluster C diagnosis, carriers of the low-activity short allele of the 5-HTTLPR exhibited higher neuroticism scores than noncarriers.


CONCLUSIONS
These findings support the notion that there is no general association between the 5-HTTLPR and anxiety-related traits and that differential gene effects and/or gene-by-environment interactions are likely operative in distinct clinical subpopulations.
Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Wuerzburg, Germany. psychopol@mail.uni-wuerzburg.de
Christian P
CP
Jacob
A
A
Strobel
K
K
Hohenberger
T
T
Ringel
L
L
Gutknecht
A
A
Reif
B
B
Brocke
K P
KP
Lesch
D000328:Adult; D000483:Alleles; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000523:psychology; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D006580:Genetic Carrier Screening; D014644:Genetic Variation / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins / Q000235:genetics*; D026901:Membrane Transport Proteins; D008875:Middle Aged; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D010554:Personality Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000523:psychology; D010555:Personality Inventory / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic / Q000235:genetics*; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012307:Risk Factors; D050486:Serotonin Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins; D012931:Social Environment; D014158:Transcription, Genetic / Q000235:genetics
D002352:Carrier Proteins; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; D026901:Membrane Transport Proteins; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; C493230:SLC6A4 protein, human; D050486:Serotonin Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins