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. 1996 Nov 29;274(5292):1527-31.
doi: 10.1126/science.274.5292.1527.

Association of anxiety-related traits with a polymorphism in the serotonin transporter gene regulatory region

K P Lesch  1 , D Bengel, A Heils, S Z Sabol, B D Greenberg, S Petri, J Benjamin, C R Müller, D H Hamer, D L Murphy
Affiliations

Association of anxiety-related traits with a polymorphism in the serotonin transporter gene regulatory region

K P Lesch et al. Science. .

Abstract

Transporter-facilitated uptake of serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine or 5-HT) has been implicated in anxiety in humans and animal models and is the site of action of widely used uptake-inhibiting antidepressant and antianxiety drugs. Human 5-HT transporter (5-HTT) gene transcription is modulated by a common polymorphism in its upstream regulatory region. The short variant of the polymorphism reduces the transcriptional efficiency of the 5-HTT gene promoter, resulting in decreased 5-HTT expression and 5-HT uptake in lymphoblasts. Association studies in two independent samples totaling 505 individuals revealed that the 5-HTT polymorphism accounts for 3 to 4 percent of total variation and 7 to 9 percent of inherited variance in anxiety-related personality traits in individuals as well as sibships.

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  • High anxiety.
    Goldman D. Goldman D. Science. 1996 Nov 29;274(5292):1483. doi: 10.1126/science.274.5292.1483. Science. 1996. PMID: 8966620 No abstract available.

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