Anxiety traits associated with a polymorphism in the serotonin transporter gene regulatory region in the Japanese

Abstract

We determined polymorphism in the s (5-HT) transporter gene-linked polymorphic re HTTLPR) in 501 healthy Japanese, individuals, u polymerase chain reaction of Lesch et al., with minor modifications. The distribution of allele frequencies was mined and found to differ from that in Caucasians. We also investigated the relationship of polymorphism HTTLPR to anxiety traits, by having 189 of the 501 complete a self-rating questionnaire for anxiety and depression. Subjects with the short/short (s/s) genotype had significantly higher anxiety scores than those with the k (l/l) or l/s genotype. It is suggested that populations s/s genotype of 5-HTTLPR have stronger anxiety personality traits than those with the 1 allele.