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Considerable excitement has arisen with reports of associations between depression and genetic variants of the serotonin transporter, especially in interaction with environmental stresses. Several new studies suggest that the association is not as specific as has been thought.
In a 2-year, longitudinal study of drinking habits, 535 college students annually provided detailed information about negative life events in the previous year and other factors, e.g., depressive symptoms, sensation seeking, and neuroticism. In addition, every day for 1 month, they reported their drinking and drug use. The researchers genotyped 295 of the students for short (s) and long (l) alleles of the promoter region of the serotonin-transporter gene (5-HTTLPR). Ra…