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Influence of life stress on depression: moderation by a polymorphism in the 5-HTT gene.
Science. 2003; 301(5631):386-9 (ISSN: 1095-9203)
Caspi A; Sugden K; Moffitt TE; Taylor A; Craig IW; Harrington H; McClay J; Mill J; Martin J; Braithwaite A; Poulton R
Medical Research Council Social, Genetic, and Developmental Psychiatry Research Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, PO80 De Crespigny Park, London, SE5 8AF, UK.
In a prospective-longitudinal study of a representative birth cohort, we tested why stressful experiences lead to depression in some people but not in others. A functional polymorphism in the promoter region of the serotonin transporter (5-HT T) gene was found to moderate the influence of stressful life events on depression. Individuals with one or two copies of the short allele of the 5-HT T promoter polymorphism exhibited more depressive symptoms, diagnosable depression, and suicidality in relation to stressful life events than individuals homozygous for the long allele. This epidemiological study thus provides evidence of a gene-by-environment interaction, in which an individual's response to environmental insults is moderated by his or her genetic makeup.
- PreMedline Identifier: 12869766