title: The 5-HTTLPR polymorphism, early and recent life stress, and cognitive endophenotypes of depression.
abstract: Studies associating interactions of 5-HTTLPR and life adversities with depression have yielded equivocal results. Studying endophenotypes may constitute a more powerful approach. In the current study, it was assessed whether interactions of 5-HTTLPR with childhood emotional abuse (CEA) and recent negative life events (RNLE) affect possible cognitive endophenotypes of depression, namely, attention-allocation bias and the ability to recognise others' mind states in 215 young adults of North-West European descent. The ability to classify others' negative mind states was found to be increased with increasing RNLE in carriers of low-expressing Serotonin Transporter Linked Polymorphic Region (5-HTTLPR) alleles. Carriers of two low-expressing alleles also preferentially oriented attention towards negative information. Gene-environment interactions were not observed for attention allocation bias. No effects involving CEA were observed. These results suggest that low-expressing 5-HTTLPR alleles may confer increased risk for depression through enhanced recognition of negative facial expressions following RNLE.
authors.affiliation: a Institute of Psychology , Leiden University , Leiden , The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Anne-Wil
authors.initials: AW
authors.lastname: Kruijt
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Putman
authors.forename: Willem
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Van der Does
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000483:Alleles; D001288:Attention; D002649:Child Abuse / Q000523:psychology*; D003071:Cognition; D003863:Depression / Q000235:genetics* / Q000523:psychology*; D058068:Endophenotypes; D005260:Female; D059647:Gene-Environment Interaction; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D008016:Life Change Events; D008297:Male; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D011597:Psychomotor Performance; D050486:Serotonin Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D056345:Theory of Mind; D044465:White People / Q000235:genetics / Q000523:psychology; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: C493230:SLC6A4 protein, human; D050486:Serotonin Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins
keywords: 5-HTTLPR; Cognitive bias; Depression; Endophenotype; Gene-environment interaction