title: Serotonin receptor gene (5-HT1A) modulates alexithymic characteristics and attachment orientation.
abstract: Previous studies have indicated that alexithymia is associated with the availability of serotonin in the brain and with the insecure attachment orientation. Inspired by the finding that the receptor 5-HT1A modulates the level of serotonin in the brain, this study investigated to what extent a polymorphism (C-1019G, rs6295) of 5-HT1A gene modulates individuals' alexithymic characteristics and attachment orientation in 504 Chinese Han people. Results showed significantly higher total scores on the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) for individuals carrying the CG/GG genotype than for individuals carrying the CC genotype. Specifically, individuals with the CG/GG genotype reported greater difficulty in identifying own feelings than individuals with the CC genotype. Results also showed that individuals carrying the CG/GG genotype seemed to be less comfortable with having close relationships to others than individuals with the CC genotype. These findings provide the first evidence for the link between 5-HT1A and the development of alexithymic characteristics and attachment orientation.
authors.affiliation: Center for Brain and Cognitive Sciences and Department of Psychology, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China; Laboratory of Medical Molecular Biology, Henan University of Science and Technology, Luoyang 471003, China.
authors.forename: Pingyuan
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gong
authors.affiliation: Center for Brain and Cognitive Sciences and Department of Psychology, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China.
authors.forename: Jinting
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Medical Molecular Biology, Henan University of Science and Technology, Luoyang 471003, China.
authors.forename: She
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Center for Brain and Cognitive Sciences and Department of Psychology, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China; Key Laboratory of Machine Perception (Ministry of Education), Peking University, Beijing 100871, China; PKU-IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China. Electronic address: xz104@pku.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Xiaolin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhou
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000342:Affective Symptoms / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009769:Object Attachment; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D044282:Receptor, Serotonin, 5-HT1A / Q000235:genetics*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D044282:Receptor, Serotonin, 5-HT1A
keywords: 5-HT1A; Alexithymia; Attachment; Genetic polymorphism; Serotonin