No association between bipolar affective disorder and a serotonin receptor (5-HT2A) polymorphism

Abstract The serotonergic system is implicated in the pathogenesis of affective disorders. In particular, the role of the postsynaptic 5-hydroxytryptamine (serotonin) type 2 receptor (5-HT2) has been documented by several studies. The 5-HT2A receptor gene located on chromosome 13 (13q14-21) can be considered a candidate gene for bipolar affective disorder (BPAD). We tested association between a 5-HT2A receptor DNA variant and BPAD using a case-control design. Eighty-three BPAD patients and 129 unrelated normal controls, carefully matched for sex and geographical origin, were studied. Allele and genotype frequencies as well as homo–heterozygote distribution at the 5-HT2A receptor polymorphism were compared between the two groups. No significant allelic or genotypic associations were observed. There was no significant difference for homo–heterozygote distribution between the two groups. These preliminary results may indicate that in our sample the 5-HT2 receptor polymorphism studied is unlikely to play a role in the genetic susceptibility to BPAD.  © 1997 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd.