Serotonergic pathway genes and alcoholism associated with antisocial personality: Association studies

Disturbances of serotonergic pathway have been implicated in many psychiatric disorders including alcoholism, aggression, schizophrenia and depression. The personality dimension of harm avoidance is correlated positively with the activity of mesolimbic serotonergic neurons. In order to determine the role of the genes in this pathway in the development of alcoholism associated with antisocial personality (ASP), a sample of alcoholics, alcoholics with ASP, and normal controls were screened with the variations in tryptophan hydroxylase (TPH), serotonin receptors (5-HT2A and 5-HT2C), serotonin transporter (5-HTT), and monoamine oxidase A (MAO-A) genes. The results of association studies for three of these genes were positive (5-HT2A, 5-HTT, and MAO-A). However, the results for alcoholics with ASP were the most significant with 5-HTT (p=0.011) and MAO-A genes (p=0.029). These data indicate that the genes in the serotonergic pathway may be involved in the development of alcoholism associated with ASP but the gene effects are small.