A SERT Polymorphism Contributes to Life-Stress-Induced Depression

Stressful life events strongly affected depressive symptoms at age 26 in individuals carrying the short-allele polymorphism in the SERT promoter region.

Although stressful life events precipitate depressive episodes in vulnerable individuals, the biologic determinants of this vulnerability remain obscure. These researchers investigated whether a functional polymorphism in the promoter region of the serotonin transporter (SERT) gene affects the risk for depression in individuals who have experienced life stress.

The 847 white participants had been assessed 9 times from age 3 to age 18 in a long-term study. They were separated into groups based on their SERT promoter genotype: 147 participants were homozygous for the short ("s") allele, 265 were homozygous for the long ("l") allele, and 435 were heterozygous. The researchers ascertained participants' histories of 14 stressful life events betwe…

Reviewing Author

Charles Nemeroff, MD, PhD