Serotonin transporter polymorphism (5-HTTLPR) in Croatian population

Abstract

Serotonin transporter polymorphism (5-HTTLPR) is a well-studied polymorphism in psychiatric research. The function of serotonin transporter is to control neural stimulation and maintain homeostasis of serotonin in other cells like platelets and enterochromaffin cells. Considering serotonin function in human behavior, and the role of serotonin transporter, 5-HTTLPR has been associated with depression related disorders, anxiety related personality traits, and adverse response to psychotherapy. However, many studies failed to replicate the association of 5-HTTLPR polymorphism with mentioned disorders. The aim of our study was to assess genotype frequencies in Croatian physically and psychologically healthy population and compare our results with previously published data. Genotype distribution in our research was similar to previous studies on Caucasian population regardless of inclusion criteria. Genotype distribution was as follows: LL 38 %; LS 45 %; SS 17 % and allele frequencies for L and S allele were 61 and 39 %, respectively. Obtained results were in an agreement with the Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium. Comparing inclusion criteria from different studies, we noticed a difference in population selection from one study to another. Increased possibility for selection bias, population stratification and complexity of psychiatric disorders might present a source of possible errors in genetic association studies.