title: Escitalopram efficacy in depression: a cross-ethnicity examination of the serotonin transporter promoter polymorphism.
abstract: Current evidence suggests that polymorphism in the serotonin transporter gene (5-HTTLPR) predicts antidepressant efficacy in whites but less so in Asians. However, it is not clear whether this effect can be observed for specific types of antidepressant drugs. White (n = 47) and Korean (n = 118) participants with major depressive disorder were treated with escitalopram and assessed over 8 weeks. Among those with the l/l but not l/s or s/s genotypes, whites had greater depression score reductions, response rates, and remission rates compared with Koreans. Our results suggest that 5-HTTLPR predicts escitalopram efficacy in an ethnicity-dependent manner.
authors.affiliation: From the *Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne, Parkville; †Centre for Human Psychopharmacology, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne; ‡Florey Institute for Neuroscience and Mental Health, Parkville; and §Department of General Practice, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia; ∥Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, Korea University, Seoul; and ¶Department of Medical Bioscience, Graduate School, Soonchunhyang University, Bucheon, Republic of Korea; #School of Medicine, Deakin University, Geelong, Australia; **Department of Psychiatry, Soonchunhyang University Cheonan Hospital, Cheonan City, Republic of Korea; and ††Department of Pharmacology, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.
authors.forename: Chad A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Bousman
authors.forename: Jerome
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sarris
authors.forename: Eun-Soo
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Won
authors.forename: Hun-Soo
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: Ajeet
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Singh
authors.forename: Hwa-Young
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Byung-Joo
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Ham
authors.forename: Chay-Hoon
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Tan
authors.forename: Min-Soo
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Chee H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Ng
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000928:Antidepressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D044466:Asian People / Q000235:genetics* / Q000523:psychology; D015283:Citalopram / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic / Q000235:genetics; D050486:Serotonin Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D016037:Single-Blind Method; D044465:White People / Q000235:genetics* / Q000523:psychology
chemical_list: D000928:Antidepressive Agents; D050486:Serotonin Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins; D015283:Citalopram