Abstract
The serotonin system modulates affective, cognitive and behavioral processes. A key molecular structure of this system, the serotonin transporter (SERT) gene, has been associated with many human behaviors, both normal and pathological. This article aim is a comprehensive overview of the human behavioral features influenced by SERT gene variants and to suggest some comprehensive hypotheses. In particular, the SERTPR insertion/deletion polymorphism has been related to hippocampal volume and amygdala response and it has been found to influence anxiety-related personality traits and anxiety disorders; in mood disorders it showed some influences on age at onset, periodicity, illness recurrence, rapid cycling, antidepressants response and depressive reaction to stressful life events. Psychosomatic disorders, suicide, alcoholism, smoking, eating disorders, attention deficit hyperactivity disorders and autism have been also found to be related to SERTPR variants. SERT gene variants seem therefore to modulate a wide range of aspects in both normal and affected individuals, many of which are possibly due to indirect correlations between such human features.
Keywords: Serotonin transporter, phenotype, complex disorder, genetics, psychiatry
Current Drug Targets
Title: Serotonin Transporter Gene Variants and Behavior: A Comprehensive Review
Volume: 7 Issue: 12
Author(s): Alessandro Serretti, Raffaella Calati, Laura Mandelli and Diana De Ronchi
Affiliation:
Keywords: Serotonin transporter, phenotype, complex disorder, genetics, psychiatry
Abstract: The serotonin system modulates affective, cognitive and behavioral processes. A key molecular structure of this system, the serotonin transporter (SERT) gene, has been associated with many human behaviors, both normal and pathological. This article aim is a comprehensive overview of the human behavioral features influenced by SERT gene variants and to suggest some comprehensive hypotheses. In particular, the SERTPR insertion/deletion polymorphism has been related to hippocampal volume and amygdala response and it has been found to influence anxiety-related personality traits and anxiety disorders; in mood disorders it showed some influences on age at onset, periodicity, illness recurrence, rapid cycling, antidepressants response and depressive reaction to stressful life events. Psychosomatic disorders, suicide, alcoholism, smoking, eating disorders, attention deficit hyperactivity disorders and autism have been also found to be related to SERTPR variants. SERT gene variants seem therefore to modulate a wide range of aspects in both normal and affected individuals, many of which are possibly due to indirect correlations between such human features.
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Cite this article as:
Serretti Alessandro, Calati Raffaella, Mandelli Laura and De Ronchi Diana, Serotonin Transporter Gene Variants and Behavior: A Comprehensive Review, Current Drug Targets 2006; 7 (12) . https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/138945006779025419
DOI https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/138945006779025419 |
Print ISSN 1389-4501 |
Publisher Name Bentham Science Publisher |
Online ISSN 1873-5592 |
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