Role of serotonin transporter polymorphisms in the behavioural and psychological symptoms in probable Alzheimer disease patients.
OBJECTIVE
Alzheimer disease (AD) patients commonly suffer from behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD). A genetic component to BPSD development in AD has been demonstrated. This is an investigation of whether the linked polymorphic region and variable number tandem repeat variants of the serotonin transporter (SERT) are associated with BPSD.


METHODS
The longitudinal measures of BPSD of our large cohort of 367 AD patients were assessed by the Neuropsychiatric Inventory. Measures with good evidence of serotonergic involvement (delusions, hallucinations, depression, anxiety, agitation/aggression and irritability) were related to genotype and allele frequencies of the linked polymorphic region and variable number tandem repeat variants.


RESULTS
Analysis revealed significant relationships between the linked polymorphic region variant long allele with irritability and the variable number tandem repeat 10-repeat allele with psychosis, but no associations were found with depression, anxiety or agitation/aggression.


CONCLUSIONS
Our data and review of previous studies suggest SERT could play a minor role in development of psychosis and aggressive/irritable tendencies; however, further investigations are required in large, well-characterized cohorts.
Pritchard
Antonia L
AL
Molecular Psychiatry Group, Queensland Institute of Medical Research, Herston, Brisbane, Australia. Antonia.Pritchard@qimr.edu.au
Pritchard
Colin W
CW
Bentham
Peter
P
Lendon
Corinne L
CL
D000367:Age Factors; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000483:Alleles; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000235:genetics* / Q000523:psychology*; D001519:Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D005838:Genotype; D006239:Haplotypes; D006801:Humans; D015810:Linkage Disequilibrium / Q000235:genetics; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018598:Minisatellite Repeats / Q000235:genetics; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic / Q000235:genetics*; D050486:Serotonin Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D012737:Sex Factors
D050486:Serotonin Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins