title: Association of a D2S2944 allele with depression specifically among those with substance abuse or antisocial personality.
abstract: Associations have previously been reported between a 124-bp allele at D2S2944 and recurrent, early-onset depression in women. These earlier reports also noted but did not emphasize a possible association between this allele and alcohol-specific depression. We have analyzed the Iowa Adoption Study data to test this association. D2S2944 allele typing was available for 247 subjects from the Iowa Adoption Studies. Information on lifetime affective, alcohol, drug, and antisocial personality (ASPD) disorders was available from a structured interview. We used logistic regression to analyze adjusted and interactive D2S2944 associations with depression. Controlling other risk factors, the 124-bp allele had a strong association with DSM-IV major depression specific to those with histories of alcohol abuse/dependence and/or ASPD. (Overlap between the two prevented further specification of the interaction.) The association was not gender-specific and was not limited to alcohol-related depressive episodes. This relationship appears stronger than the D2S2944 association previously reported for early-onset depression in women. We note that, in combination with additional liabilities towards depression in women and alcoholism/sociopathy in men, the 124-bp allele may provide a basis for the phenomenon of depressive spectrum illness proposed by Winokur.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Psychiatry Research, Room 1-326, Medical Education Building, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA. douglas-langbehn@uiowa.edu
authors.forename: Douglas R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Langbehn
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Philibert
authors.forename: Kristin M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Caspers
authors.forename: Rebecca
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Yucuis
authors.forename: Remi J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Cadoret
mesh_terms: D000300:Adoption; D000328:Adult; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000235:genetics*; D000483:Alleles; D000987:Antisocial Personality Disorder / Q000235:genetics*; D020029:Base Pairing / Q000235:genetics*; D002889:Chromosomes, Human, Pair 2; D015897:Comorbidity; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D005787:Gene Frequency / Q000235:genetics; D005819:Genetic Markers / Q000235:genetics*; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease / Q000235:genetics; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D007484:Iowa; D008297:Male; D018895:Microsatellite Repeats / Q000235:genetics*; D008875:Middle Aged; D012008:Recurrence; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D005819:Genetic Markers