In the present paper we analysed SERTPR in the onset of mood disorders, along with adverse life events, and other candidate genes: the serotonin receptor 1A (5-HT1A), the dopamine receptor D4 (DRD4) and the catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT).
In our sample of 814 patients comprising 114 with schizophrenia, 416 with bipolar affective disorder and 284 with unipolar affective disorder, we studied interactions between the tryptophan hydroxylase (TPH), the serotonin transporter (5-HTTLPR), and the dopamine receptor (DRD4) genes in relation to five major psychiatric symptomatology scores.
We investigated the variations in TPH, 5-HTTLPR and DRD4 gene polymorphisms according to seasonality of birth in 954 patients with unipolar affective disorder, bipolar affective disorder, and schizophrenia, respectively, and in 395 controls.
Our results suggest that MAO-A, COMT, 5-HT2A, DRD2, and DRD4 gene variants are not involved in susceptibility toward different time courses in mood disorders.
The present report focuses on a possible association of self-esteem in remitted mood disorder patients with the functional polymorphism located in the upstream regulatory region of the serotonin transporter gene (5-HTTLPR) and the dopamine receptor D4 (DRD4).
When a part of the DRD4 gene sequence containing the codons for the most important amino acids for dopamine binding in 9 controls, 9 patients with schizophrenia and 10 with affective disorders were compared, no differences could be found.
Our results suggest that there is a significant association between the dopamine D4 receptor gene and mood disorders, especially major depression, but no association between the other polymorphisms and mood disorders.
We present the results of a linkage analysis using polymorphic DNA segments within the TH gene and the nearby dopamine D4 receptor (DRD4) gene in 6 families multiply affected with affective disorder.