title: 5-HTTLPR short allele, resilience, and successful aging in older adults.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Resilience is proposed as a significant component of successful aging. Young adult carriers of the Serotonin Transporter Polymorphism (5-HTTLPR) short(s) allele appear to have reduced resilience to stress. We examined whether the presence of the short allele was associated with poorer emotional resilience in older adults.
  
  
  METHODS
  In a cross-sectional study of 99 healthy, community-dwelling, older adults, we determined 5-HTTLPR genotype status and administered the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale and self-reported measures of successful aging, cognition, and health.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was no significant association between the 5-HTTLPR s allele and resilience. S allele carriers had worse cognition and self-report ratings of successful aging.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings suggest that the impact of the 5-HTTLPR s allele on stress-related outcomes may attenuate with older age. However, s allele status appears to be a biomarker of poorer self-rated successful aging, and cognitive performance in older adults.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford University, CA 94305, USA. roh@stanford.edu
authors.forename: Ruth
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: OʼHara
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Marcus
authors.forename: Wesley K
authors.initials: WK
authors.lastname: Thompson
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Flournoy
authors.forename: Ipsit
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Vahia
authors.forename: Xiaoyan
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Joachim
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hallmayer
authors.forename: Colin
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Depp
authors.forename: Dilip V
authors.initials: DV
authors.lastname: Jeste
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000235:genetics* / Q000523:psychology*; D003071:Cognition; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005787:Gene Frequency; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D055500:Resilience, Psychological; D050486:Serotonin Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: C493230:SLC6A4 protein, human; D050486:Serotonin Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins