Korean J Psychopharmacol.  2005 Jan;16(1):76-80.

Association between Serotonin Transporter Linked Promoter Region(5-HTTLPR) Polymorphism and Age of Onset of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

• Kim SJ
• Kim CH
• Lee HS

Abstract

OBJECTIVE
Many researches strongly suggest that early- and late-onset obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) represent separate subtypes of the disorder, possibly with distinct underlying pathogeneses. The aim of this study was to determine the association between 5-HTTLPR genotypes and the onset of OCD. METHODS: We recruited 124 OCD patients and classified them into an early-onset group (age of onset <18 years) and a late onset-group (age of onset >or= 18 years). From the blood, DNA was isolated using standard techniques and the 5-HTTLPR polymorphism was genotyped by polymerase chain reaction and electrophoresis. We classified the subject as s/s, s/l, and l/l group according to their genotype. We also combined the s/l and l/l genotypes (l allele non-carrier) and compared these with the s/s genotype (l allele non-carrier) for our analysis. Genotype and allele frequencies of early- and late-onset OCD were analyzed by chi-square statistics. RESULTS: The frequencies of s/l+l/l genotype and l allele in early-onset OCD group were significantly higher than late-onset OCD group. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that a 5-HTTLPR polymorphism is an important factor in the onset of OCD.

Keyword

Serotonin transporter polymorphism; Early-onset; Late-onset; Obsessive-compulsive disorder

MeSH Terms

Age of Onset*
Alleles
DNA
Electrophoresis
Gene Frequency
Genotype
Humans
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder*
Polymerase Chain Reaction
Serotonin Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins*
Serotonin*
DNA
Serotonin
Serotonin Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins