Does a Serotonin Genetic Variant Affect the Success of CBT in Children with Anxiety?

A positive response to cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) was associated with the ss genotype of the serotonin-related gene 5-HTTLPR in children with diverse anxiety disorders (NEJM JW Psychiatry Jan 2012 and Mol Psychiatry 2012; 17:236). To replicate these findings, the same research group recruited an independent sample of 829 children aged 5 to 18 years (mean, 10) from 11 centers who received manual-based CBT (individual therapy, 40%; group, 46%; parent-guided, 14%).

At 12 weeks posttreatment and at 12-month follow-up, the relationship between the ss genotype and improvement or remission was not significant. In an analysis combining participants from both the earlier and the present studies, ss status was significantly associated with rem…