Serotonin Transporter Protein Gene Polymorphism and Personality Measures in African American and European American Subjects

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Abstract
Objective:The SLC6A4 locus encodes the serotonin transporter, which in turn mediates the synaptic inactivation of the neurotransmitter serotonin. A polymorphism located in the 5′ promoter region of the gene is associated with altered transcriptional activity of SLC6A4; an earlier study reported an association of the polymorphism with anxiety- and depression-related traits, including harm avoidance and neuroticism. The authors attempted to replicate this finding. Method:They assessed genotype at the SLC6A4 promoter polymorphism, and an additional polymorphism in intron 2, in 322 American subjects of European and African ancestry, some with diagnoses of a personality disorder or substance dependence and some normal comparison subjects. Harm avoidance was measured by the Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire in all subjects, and neuroticism was measured by the NEO Five-Factor Inventory in 185 subjects. Allele frequencies in the groups were compared, and hierarchical multiple regression was used to examine...