Serotonin transporter gene polymorphism and BPSD in mild Alzheimer's disease.
The purpose of the present study was to confirm an association of functional polymorphism within the serotonin transporter (5-HTT) gene with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) in mild AD. Apolipoprotein E (ApoE) gene polymorphism and 2 types of functional polymorphism in the 5-HTT gene, 5-HTT-linked polymorphic region (5-HTTLPR) and a 5-HTT variable number of tandem repeats sequence (5-HTTVNTR) were analyzed longitudinally in outpatients with mild AD to find out whether there was a relation between any such polymorphisms and the occurrence of BPSD. No significant differences in genotype distribution or allele frequencies were identified for 5-HTTLPR or 5-HTTVNTR between AD patients and age- and sex-matched non-demented controls regardless of ApoE epsilon4 allele. No significant differences were noted in 5-HTTLPR genotype or allele distributions between AD patients with or without BPSD. However, significant associations were observed between presence of 5-HTTVNTR allele 10 and BPSD or aggressiveness. This difference was independent of the presence of the ApoE epsilon4 allele. As a result, 5-HTT polymorphisms are unlikely to play any substantial role in susceptibility to AD. Conversely, 5-HTTVNTR influences the risk of developing BPSD or aggressiveness and genetic variations in the 5-HTT gene may be involved in the development of symptomatology for mild AD.
Department of Neuropsychiatry, Hyogo College of Medicine, Nishinomiya, Hyogo, Japan. aki@hyo-med.ac.jp
Akinori
A
Ueki
Hideo
H
Ueno
Noriko
N
Sato
Hidetaka
H
Shinjo
Yoshio
Y
Morita
D000368:Aged; D000374:Aggression / Q000523:psychology; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D001057:Apolipoproteins E / Q000378:metabolism; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D017931:DNA Primers / Q000235:genetics; D003704:Dementia / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D015870:Gene Expression / Q000235:genetics*; D016678:Genome / Q000235:genetics; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic / Q000235:genetics*; D011595:Psychomotor Agitation / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D050486:Serotonin Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins / Q000235:genetics*
D001057:Apolipoproteins E; D017931:DNA Primers; C493230:SLC6A4 protein, human; D050486:Serotonin Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins