-1438 G/A 5-HT2A Receptor Gene Polymorphisms in Patients with Schizophrenia

Abstract

Objective: Serotonin (5-HT) plays a key role in central nervous system. Serotonergic dysfunction may be involved in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia. 5-HT<inf>2A</inf> receptor gene maps to 13q14-21. This study aimed to investigate possible association between -1438 G/A polymorphism and schizophrenia. Methods: A hundred and fifteen schizophrenic patients diagnosed according to DSM-IV and 86 healthy control subjects were included in this study. The -1438 G/A polymorphism of serotonin receptor gene were determined by PCR-RFLP assay, genotypes were determined using agarose gel electrophoresis and image analyzer system. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS for Windows version 12.0. Results: The frequencies AA, AG ad GG genotypes were %27, %51 and %22 in schizophrenia patients; %17, %56 and %27 in controls. The differences were not signifycant when compared with AA, Ag and GG genotypes. Individuals with AA genotype had nearly 1.13-fold and 1.90-fold increased risk for schizophrenia than individuals carrying genotypes AG and GG, respectively. However, the differences were not statistically significant. The frequencies of A and G alleles were 0.53 and 0.47 in patients and 0.45 and 0.55 in controls, respectively. Conclusion: These findings indicate that there may not be any association between 5-HT<inf>2A</inf> receptor gene polymorphism and schizophrenia.