Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2009 Aug;118(3):670-81.
doi: 10.1037/a0016198.

Association of the serotonin transporter gene promoter region (5-HTTLPR) polymorphism with biased attention for emotional stimuli

Christopher G Beevers  1 , Tony T Wells, Alissa J Ellis, John E McGeary
Affiliations

Association of the serotonin transporter gene promoter region (5-HTTLPR) polymorphism with biased attention for emotional stimuli

Christopher G Beevers et al. J Abnorm Psychol. 2009 Aug.

Abstract

A deletion polymorphism in the serotonin transporter-linked polymorphic region (5-HTTLPR) has been associated with vulnerability to affective disorders, yet the mechanism by which this gene confers vulnerability remains unclear. Two studies examined associations between the 5-HTTLPR polymorphism and attentional bias for emotional stimuli among nondepressed adults. Biased attention, attention engagement, and difficulty with attention disengagement were assessed with a spatial cuing task using emotional stimuli. Results from Study 1 (N = 38) indicated that short 5-HTTLPR allele carriers experienced greater difficulty disengaging their attention from sad and happy stimuli compared with long allele homozygotes. Study 2 participants (N = 144) were genotyped for the 5-HTTLPR polymorphism, including single nucleotide polymorphism rs25531 in the long allele of the 5-HTTLPR. Consistent with Study 1, individuals homozygous for the low-expressing 5-HTTLPR alleles (i.e., S and LG) experienced greater difficulty disengaging attention from sad, happy, and fear stimuli than high-expressing 5-HTTLPR homozygotes. Because this association exists in healthy adults, it may represent a susceptibility factor for affective disorders that becomes problematic during stressful life experiences.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Trial sequence for valid and invalid trials. Fixation cross and probe are not to scale.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Mean attentional bias (panel A), attentional engagement (panel B), and difficulty with attentional disengagement (panel C) with standard errors presented as a function of stimuli valence and 5-HTTLPR allele status for Study 1.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Mean attentional bias (panel A), attention engagement (panel B), and difficulty with attention disengagement (panel C) with standard errors presented as a function of stimulus valence and 5-HTTLPR allele status for Study 2. Note that S′S′ includes the SS, LGLG, and SLG allele groups, S′L′ includes the SLA, LGLA allele groups, and L′L′ includes the LALA allele group.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Beevers CG, Carver CS. Attentional bias and mood persistence as prospective predictors of dysphoria. Cognitive Therapy and Research. 2003;27:619–637.
    1. Beevers CG, Gibb BE, McGeary JE, Miller IW. Serotonin Transporter Genetic Variation and Biased Attention for Emotional Word Stimuli Among Psychiatric Inpatients. Journal of Abnormal Psychology. 2007;116(1):208. - PubMed
    1. Bertolino A, Arciero G, Rubino V, Latorre V, De Candia M, Mazzola V, et al. Variation of Human Amygdala Response During Threatening Stimuli as a Function of 5′HTTLPR Genotype and Personality Style. Biological Psychiatry. 2005;57(12):1517. - PubMed
    1. Canli T, Omura K, Haas BW, Fallgatter A, Constable RT, Lesch KP. Beyond affect: A role for genetic variation of the serotonin transporter in neural activation during a cognitive attention task. PNAS. 2005;102(34):12224–12229. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Caspi A, Sugden K, Moffitt TE, Taylor A, Craig IW, Harrington H, et al. Influence of life stress on depression: moderation by a polymorphism in the 5-HTT gene. Science. 2003;301(5631):386. - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms

Substances