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Allelic variation in 5-HT1A receptor expression is associated with anxiety- and depression-related personality traits

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Summary.

The 5-HT1A receptor plays a critical role in the pathophysiology of anxiety and depression as well as in the mode of action of anxiolytic and antidepressant drugs. Human 5-HT1A gene transcription is modulated by a common C-1016G single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in its upstream regulatory region. In the present study, we evaluated the role of the HTR1A-1019 polymorphism in the modulation of individual differences in personality traits by an association study of a sample of healthy volunteers. Personality traits were assessed with two different methods, NEO personality inventory (NEO-PI-R) and Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire (TPQ). There was a significant effect of the HTR1A-1019 polymorphism on NEO Neuroticism with carriers of the G allele showing higher scores than individuals homozygous for the C variant. The effect was primarily due to associations with the Neuroticism facets Anxiety and Depression. Carriers of the G allele also exhibited higher TPQ Harm Avoidance scores. Our findings indicate a role of allelic variation in 5-HT1A receptor expression in the development and modulation of anxiety- and depression-related personality traits.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Differential and Personality Psychology, Institute of Psychology II, Technical University of Dresden, Dresden, Germany, , , , , , DE

    A. Strobel & B. Brocke

  2. Molecular and Clinical Psychobiology, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany, , , , , , DE

    L. Gutknecht, A. Reif, R. Mössner, Y. Zeng & K.-P. Lesch

  3. Department of Psychiatry, University of Münster, Münster, Germany, , , , , , DE

    C. Rothe

Authors
  1. A. Strobel
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  2. L. Gutknecht
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  3. C. Rothe
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  4. A. Reif
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  5. R. Mössner
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  6. Y. Zeng
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  7. B. Brocke
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  8. K.-P. Lesch
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These authors contributed equally to the work.

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Strobel, A., Gutknecht, L., Rothe, C. et al. Allelic variation in 5-HT1A receptor expression is associated with anxiety- and depression-related personality traits. J Neural Transm 110, 1445–1453 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00702-003-0072-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00702-003-0072-0

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