Molecular Effect of Variants in Serotonin Transporter Gene in Women with Alcohol Use Disorder.

Abstract

The dysregulation of the serotonin system has been implicated in the pathophysiology of alcohol use disorders. Meta-analytic evidence suggests a significant correlation between genetic variation in the serotonin transporter gene and the risk of alcohol dependence. Hence, we aimed to analyse the association between 5-HTTLPR polymorphism and alcohol use disorder in a group of women and to perform an interaction analysis of 5-HTTLPR variants, personality traits, and AUD. The study group comprised 213 female volunteers; 101 were diagnosed with alcohol addiction, and 112 were not dependent on any substance or behaviour. The 5-HTTLPR variants were identified by PCR, and the resulting products were separated electrophoretically. When comparing the AUD group with the controls, we observed significant differences in the distribution of 5-HTTLPR genotypes (p = 0.0230) and alleles (p = 0.0046). We also observed a significant impact of the 5-HTTLPR genotype (p = 0.0001) on the Neuroticism and Extraversion (p = 0.0037) scales. Additionally, there was a statistically significant impact of 5-HTTLPR genotype interaction and alcohol dependency or lack of it on the Neuroticism scale (p < 0.0001). The observed interaction suggests that the effect of the 5-HTTLPR on neuroticism may be exacerbated or attenuated in the presence of alcohol addiction. Further investigation is needed to elucidate the precise nature of this interaction. Still, it potentially indicates a gene-environment interaction where the genetic predisposition conferred by the 5-HTTLPR polymorphism interacts with the environmental stressor of alcohol dependence to influence neuroticism.