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. 2018 Jun 22;4(4):180-185.
doi: 10.1192/bjo.2018.23. eCollection 2018 Jul.

The 5-HTTLPR genotype, early life adversity and cortisol responsivity to psychosocial stress in women

Jurate Aleknaviciute  1 , Joke H M Tulen  1 , Yolanda B de Rijke  2 , Mark van der Kroeg  1 , Cornelis G Kooiman  3 , Steven A Kushner  1
Affiliations

The 5-HTTLPR genotype, early life adversity and cortisol responsivity to psychosocial stress in women

Jurate Aleknaviciute et al. BJPsych Open. .

Abstract

Background: The serotonin transporter gene-linked polymorphic region (5-HTTLPR) has previously been associated with hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis function. Moreover, it has been suggested that this association is moderated by an interaction with stressful life experiences.

Aims: To investigate the moderation of cortisol response to psychosocial stress by 5-HTTLPR genotype, either directly or through an interaction with early life stress.

Method: A total of 151 women, 85 of which had personality psychopathology, performed the Trier Social Stress Test while cortisol responsivity was assessed.

Results: The results demonstrate a main effect of genotype on cortisol responsivity. Women carrying two copies of the long version of 5-HTTLPR exhibited stronger cortisol responses to psychosocial stress than women with at least one copy of the short allele (P = 0.03). However, the proportion of the variance of stress-induced cortisol responsivity explained by 5-HTTLPR genotype was not further strengthened by including early life adversity as a moderating factor (P = 0.52).

Conclusions: Our results highlight the need to clarify gender-specific biological factors influencing the serotonergic system. Furthermore, our results suggest that childhood maltreatment, specifically during the first 15 years of life, is unlikely to exert a moderating influence of large effect on the relationship between the 5-HTTLPR genotype and cortisol responsivity to psychosocial stress.

Declaration of interest: None.

Keywords: 5-HTTLPR; cortisol; hypothalamus–pituitary–adrenal axis; psychosocial stress; women.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Mean (±s.e.m.) salivary cortisol response to the Trier Social Stress Test (computed by subtracting the baseline measurement time point from the peak value 15 minutes post-stress) as a function of 5-HTTLPR genotype in female participants (* P < 0.05).
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Correlations between cortisol response and Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) total score. No significant associations were observed between cortisol response and CTQ for any 5-HTTLPR genotype. Analysis of covariance yielded no significant influence of the CTQ score on cortisol responsivity to the TSST [F(1, 44) = 0.07, P = 0.80], nor was there a significant interaction between 5-HTTLPR and CTQ score [F(2, 142) = 0.66, P = 0.52].
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