https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26311211Alcohol Alcohol. 2016 Mar;51(2):164-71. doi: 10.1093/alcalc/agv090. Epub 2015 Aug 26.
Variation in the Serotonin Transporter Gene and Alcoholism: Risk and Response to Pharmacotherapy.
Thompson MD1, Kenna GA2.
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Abstract
SLC6A4, the gene encoding the serotonin transporter protein (5-HTT), has been extensively examined as a risk factor for alcohol dependence (AD). More recently, variability in the transporter gene was identified to be a potential moderator of treatment response to serotonergic medications such as ondansetron and sertraline. There is an insertion-deletion polymorphism in the promoter region (5-HTTLPR) of the SLC6A4, with the most common alleles being a 14-repeat short (S) allele and a 16-repeat long (L) allele. The S allele has often been associated with AD. By contrast, the L allele has been associated with pharmacological responsiveness in some individuals with AD. Differences in clinical phenotype may determine the utility of the 5-HTTLPR polymorphism as a moderator of pharmacological interventions for AD. We review the AD typology and disease onset in the context of pharmacogenetic and genomic studies that examine the utility of 5-HTTLPR in improving treatment outcomes.
© The Author 2015. Medical Council on Alcohol and Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.
PMID: 26311211 PMCID: PMC4755552 [Available on 2017-03-01] DOI: 10.1093/alcalc/agv090
[Indexed for MEDLINE] Free PMC Article