title: A review of genetic alterations in the serotonin pathway and their correlation with psychotic diseases and response to atypical antipsychotics.
abstract: Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that plays a predominant role in mood regulation. The importance of the serotonin pathway in controlling behavior and mental status is well recognized. All the serotonin elements - serotonin receptors, serotonin transporter, tryptophan hydroxylase and monoamine oxidase proteins - can show alterations in terms of mRNA or protein levels and protein sequence, in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Additionally, when examining the genes sequences of all serotonin elements, several single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have been found to be more prevalent in schizophrenic or bipolar patients than in healthy individuals. Several of these alterations have been associated either with different phenotypes between patients and healthy individuals or with the response of psychiatric patients to the treatment with atypical antipsychotics. The complex pattern of genetic diversity within the serotonin pathway hampers efforts to identify the key variations contributing to an individual's susceptibility to the disease. In this review article, we summarize all genetic alterations found across the serotonin pathway, we provide information on whether and how they affect schizophrenia or bipolar disorder phenotypes, and, on the contribution of familial relationships on their detection frequencies. Furthermore, we provide evidence on whether and how specific gene polymorphisms affect the outcome of schizophrenic or bipolar patients of different ethnic groups, in response to treatment with atypical antipsychotics. All data are discussed thoroughly, providing prospective for future studies.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Forensic Medicine & Toxicology, Faculty of Medicine, School of Health Sciences, University of Ioannina, 45110 Ioannina, Greece.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Baou
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Forensic Medicine & Toxicology, Faculty of Medicine, School of Health Sciences, University of Ioannina, 45110 Ioannina, Greece. Electronic address: vboumba@cc.uoi.gr.
authors.forename: Vassiliki A
authors.initials: VA
authors.lastname: Boumba
authors.affiliation: Psychiatric Clinic, University Hospital of Ioannina, 45110 Ioannina, Greece.
authors.forename: Petros
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Petrikis
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Forensic Medicine & Toxicology, Faculty of Medicine, School of Health Sciences, University of Ioannina, 45110 Ioannina, Greece.
authors.forename: Georgios
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Rallis
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Forensic Medicine & Toxicology, Faculty of Medicine, School of Health Sciences, University of Ioannina, 45110 Ioannina, Greece.
authors.forename: Theodore
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Vougiouklakis
authors.affiliation: Psychiatric Clinic, University Hospital of Ioannina, 45110 Ioannina, Greece.
authors.forename: Venetsanos
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Mavreas
mesh_terms: D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000235:genetics*; D011985:Receptors, Serotonin / Q000235:genetics*; D012701:Serotonin / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D014150:Antipsychotic Agents; D011985:Receptors, Serotonin; D012701:Serotonin
keywords: Atypical antipsychotics; Genetic alterations; Review; SNPs; Serotonin; Serotonin pathway