Bipolar Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Bipolar, including details on bipolar disorder, symptoms, treatment, depression, medication.

Association between obsessive-compulsive disorder and a variable number of tandem repeats polymorphism in intron 2 of the serotonin transporter gene.

Baca-Garcia E, Vaquero-Lorenzo C, Diaz-Hernandez M, Rodriguez-Salgado B, Dolengevich-Segal H, Arrojo-Romero M, Botillo-Martin C, Ceverino A, Piqueras JF, Perez-Rodriguez MM, Saiz-Ruiz J

Department of Psychiatry, Fundacion Jimenez Diaz Hospital, Avenida Reyes Catolicos 2, 28040, Madrid, Spain. ebacgar2@yahoo.es

BACKGROUND: Pharmacological studies indicate a dysregulation of the serotonergic system in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). A variable number tandem repeats (VNTR) polymorphism with three alleles (Stin2.9, Stin2.10, Stin2.12) has been described in intron 2 of the serotonin transporter (5-HTT) gene. This polymorphism has been associated with unipolar depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and anxiety disorders including OCD. METHODS: The association between OCD and the polymorphism is examined in 97 OCD patients, 578 psychiatric controls and 406 healthy controls, all Spanish Caucasians. RESULTS: Genotype frequencies for the polymorphism were significantly different in OCD patients, psychiatric patients and controls. There was a significant excess of 12/12 and 12/10 genotypes in OCD patients compared to psychiatric patients and controls. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate a possible association between the Stin2.12 allele of the VNTR polymorphism and OCD.

Published 12 February 2007 in Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry, 31(2): 416-20.
Full-text of this article is available online (may require subscription).

© 2004-2008 Bipolar Research Today. All Rights Reserved.