title: The CC genotype in HTR2A T102C polymorphism is associated with behavioral impulsivity in alcohol-dependent patients.
abstract: High levels of impulsivity can increase the vulnerability for development of alcohol dependence. Moreover, impulsivity is considered to be a predictor of poor treatment outcomes. Few studies, however, have directly examined the genetics of impulsivity in alcohol-dependent patients. We analyzed the relationships between a well-recognized genetic marker of serotonin activity and levels of impulsivity as measured by both the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS-11) and the stop-signal task among 304 alcohol-dependent patients. The stop-signal task was used as an independent, objective method of estimating the level of behavioral impulsivity, and the BIS-11 as a self-report measure of global impulsivity. Blood was collected and analyzed for the T102C (rs6313) polymorphism in the serotonin type 2A receptor gene (HTR2A). Our results indicate a significant association between high levels of behavioral impulsivity and the C/C genotype of rs6313 in alcohol-dependent patients. The CC genotype has been previously found to be associated with a reduction in 5HT2A receptors in the central nervous system. These results support the hypothesis that genetic factors are important determinants of behavioral impulsivity in alcohol-dependent patients, and that the serotonin system plays an important role in establishing its level.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland.
authors.forename: Andrzej
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jakubczyk
authors.forename: Małgorzata
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wrzosek
authors.forename: Jacek
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lukaszkiewicz
authors.forename: Joanna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sadowska-Mazuryk
authors.forename: Halina
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Matsumoto
authors.forename: Elżbieta
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Sliwerska
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Glass
authors.forename: Margit
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Burmeister
authors.forename: Kirk J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Brower
authors.forename: Marcin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wojnar
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000150:complications* / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D005787:Gene Frequency; D056726:Genetic Association Studies; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D007175:Impulsive Behavior / Q000209:etiology* / Q000235:genetics*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide / Q000235:genetics*; D044402:Receptor, Serotonin, 5-HT2A / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D044402:Receptor, Serotonin, 5-HT2A