title: The 5-HTTLPR polymorphism, impulsivity and suicide behavior in euthymic bipolar patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Suicide behavior is very frequent in Bipolar Disorder (BD) and they are both closely associated with impulsivity. Furthermore they are, impulsivity, BD and suicide behavior, associated with serotonergic function, at least partially, under genetic determinism and somewhat associated with the serotonin transporter gene polymorphism, the 5-HTTLPR. We aimed to assess different impulsivity components in BD sub-grouped by suicidal attempt and healthy controls. We hypothesized that the non-planning/cognitive impulsivity, could be more closely associated with suicidal behavior. We further associated 5-HTTLPR genotypes with neuropsychological results to test the hypothesis that this polymorphism is associated with cognitive impulsivity.
  
  
  METHODS
  We assessed 95 euthymic bipolar patients sub-grouped by suicidal attempt history in comparison with 94 healthy controls. All subjects underwent a laboratory assessment of impulsivity (Continuous Performance Test and Iowa Gambling Test). Furthermore the genotyping of 5-HTTLPR was performed in all subjects.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We found that bipolar patients are more impulsive than healthy controls in all impulsivity dimensions we studied. Furthermore bipolar patients with a suicide attempt history have a greater cognitive impulsivity when compared to both bipolar patients without such a history as well when compared to healthy controls. No association was found between 5-HTTLPR genotypes and neuropsychological measures of impulsive behavior.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The sample studied can be considered small and a potentially confounding variable - medication status - was not controlled.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A lifetime suicide attempt seems associated with cognitive impulsivity independently of the socio-demographic and clinical variables studied as well with 5-HTTLPR genotype. Further studies in larger samples are necessary.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Psicologia da Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Avenida Antonio Carlos 6627, Faculdade de Filosofia e Ciências Humanas, Sala 4010, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil. malloy.diniz@gmail.com
authors.forename: Leandro Fernandes
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: Malloy-Diniz
authors.forename: Fernando Silva
authors.initials: FS
authors.lastname: Neves
authors.forename: Paulo Henrique Paiva
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: de Moraes
authors.forename: Luiz Armando
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: De Marco
authors.forename: Marco Aurélio
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Romano-Silva
authors.forename: Marie-Odile
authors.initials: MO
authors.lastname: Krebs
authors.forename: Humberto
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Corrêa
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001714:Bipolar Disorder / Q000235:genetics* / Q000523:psychology*; D003527:Cyclothymic Disorder / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D007175:Impulsive Behavior / Q000235:genetics; D007484:Iowa; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D050486:Serotonin Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D059020:Suicidal Ideation; D013405:Suicide / Q000523:psychology*; D013406:Suicide, Attempted / Q000523:psychology
chemical_list: C493230:SLC6A4 protein, human; D050486:Serotonin Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins