title: Star-crossed? The association of the 5-HTTLPR s allele with season of birth in a healthy female population, and possible consequences for temperament, depression and suicide.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Birth season has well-known effects on neuropsychiatric disorders, and may also influence genotype distribution by possibly influencing chance of conception via parental idiosyncratic conception patterns or survival of foetuses or infants. The 5-HTTLPR is associated with phenomena including affective temperaments or suicide which are also associated with birth season. Our aim was to investigate the association of 5-HTTLPR genotype and birth season in a healthy female population.
  
  
  METHODS
  Birth date and 5-HTTLPR genotype was determined for 327 psychiatrically healthy women. The association between presence of s allele and time of birth was analysed using generalized linear models.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A significant association between s allele frequency and time of birth was detected. S allele carrier frequency was marginally significantly higher in July borns and significantly lower in autumn borns.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We investigated an adult sample so genotype frequency data do not reflect birth frequencies. Our sample consisted exclusively of females.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There is no clear explanation for the observed association, although idiosyncratic parental conception patterns, the association of 5-HTTLPR with sudden infant/intrauterine death, or other s allele-mediated behaviours may play a role. Our results are strikingly parallel with earlier data reporting a higher risk of completed suicide in July borns, and higher scores of July borns and lower scores of autumn borns on certain affective temperament scales, both of which are also associated with the s allele of 5-HTTLPR. Thus our results may add to the growing body of evidence regarding the etiological background of affective disorders.
authors: Department of Clinical and Theoretical Mental Health, Kutvolgyi Clinical Center, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary. kendermagos@yahoo.com
authors: Xenia
authors: X
authors: Gonda
authors: Konstantinos N
authors: KN
authors: Fountoulakis
authors: Gabor
authors: G
authors: Csukly
authors: Peter
authors: P
authors: Dome
authors: Marco
authors: M
authors: Sarchiapone
authors: Andras
authors: A
authors: Laszik
authors: Katalin
authors: K
authors: Bedi
authors: Gabriella
authors: G
authors: Juhasz
authors: Melina
authors: M
authors: Siamouli
authors: Tibor
authors: T
authors: Rudisch
authors: Eszter
authors: E
authors: Molnar
authors: Dorottya
authors: D
authors: Pap
authors: Gyorgy
authors: G
authors: Bagdy
authors: Zoltan
authors: Z
authors: Rihmer
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000483:Alleles; D003863:Depression / Q000235:genetics* / Q000523:psychology; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D005787:Gene Frequency; D059647:Gene-Environment Interaction; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000235:genetics; D019964:Mood Disorders / Q000235:genetics; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D012621:Seasons; D050486:Serotonin Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D013405:Suicide / Q000523:psychology*; D013694:Temperament; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D050486:Serotonin Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins