A systematic review of association studies investigating genes coding for serotonin receptors and the serotonin transporter: ii. Suicidal behavior

ABSTRACT The different serotonin (5-HT) receptors, including the serotonin transporter (5-HTT), are excellent candidate genes for suicide and suicidal behavior, and thus, they have been

investigated in a large number of allelic association studies. The individual results of these studies have been inconsistent and definite conclusions are difficult to establish. A reliable

method for assessing individual studies and generating combined results is provided by systematic reviews using meta-analytical techniques. In this study, we carried out a systematic review

of studies investigating 5-HT receptors and the 5-HTT in suicidal behavior. Studies were identified by means of MEDLINE database searches and by scanning reference lists. More than 190

articles were reviewed and 26 met the inclusion criteria. In all, 14 studies investigated six different 5-HT receptor loci and 12 studies investigated the 5-HTT promoter 44 bp

insertion/deletion polymorphism. Two specific meta-analyses were carried out, pooling studies investigating the 5-HT2A 102 T/C and the 5-HTT promoter loci that included, respectively, a

total of 1599 and 2539 subjects. The combined evidence was significant for association with the 5-HTT locus (Mantel–Haenszel weighted odds ratio (M–Hw OR)=1.17 CI : 1.04–1.32, _P_=0.009),

but not for the 5-HT2A 102 T/C variant (M-Hw OR)=1.09 CI : 0.93–1.27, _P_=0.319). The 5-HTT result was robust and remained significant following sensitivity analysis, suggesting that 5-HTT

may play a role in the predisposition to suicide. Access through your institution Buy or subscribe This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution ACCESS OPTIONS

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS We thank Alexandra Lalovic, Caroline Kim, Adolfo Sequeira, Iris Groisman, and Firoza Mamdani for their expert academic assistance. This study was partly funded by CIHR

Grant MOP-38078 and an AFSP grant. AUTHOR INFORMATION AUTHORS AND AFFILIATIONS * Dougals Hospital Research Center, McGill University, Montreal, Canada M Anguelova & G Turecki * MUHC,

McGill University, Montreal, Canada C Benkelfat Authors * M Anguelova View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar * C Benkelfat View author

publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar * G Turecki View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar CORRESPONDING AUTHOR

Correspondence to G Turecki. RIGHTS AND PERMISSIONS Reprints and permissions ABOUT THIS ARTICLE CITE THIS ARTICLE Anguelova, M., Benkelfat, C. & Turecki, G. A systematic review of

association studies investigating genes coding for serotonin receptors and the serotonin transporter: II. Suicidal behavior. _Mol Psychiatry_ 8, 646–653 (2003).

https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.mp.4001336 Download citation * Received: 04 February 2003 * Revised: 04 February 2003 * Accepted: 06 February 2003 * Published: 22 July 2003 * Issue Date: 01 July

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not currently available for this article. Copy to clipboard Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative KEYWORDS * suicide * suicide attempts * genetic association

studies * genetic polymorphisms * serotonin receptors * serotonin transporter