Citation

Helbecque N, Sparks DL, Hunsaker JC, Amouyel P. Neurosci. Lett. 2006; 400(1-2): 13-15.

Affiliation

INSERM U744, Institut Pasteur de Lille, Université de Lille 2, 1 rue Calmette, BP 245, 59019 Lille Cedex, France.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2006, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.neulet.2006.02.012

PMID

16510244

Abstract

Serotonergic dysfunction has been implicated in mood disorders and in the pathophysiology of suicidality. A functional polymorphism (a 44-base pair insertion (L)/deletion (S)) in the promoter of the gene encoding the serotonin transporter (5-HTTLPR), associated with mood disorders, has been inconsistently associated with suicidality. To add to this debate, we designed a case-control study involving 62 suicide victims and 72 controls matched for age, gender and ethnicity. All subjects underwent forensic investigation. No association could be detected between the 5-HTTLPR polymorphism and suicide. This result is consistent with the proposal that different genes are involved in hopelessness and suicidal behavior or in depressive illness.

Language: en