Serotonin transporter promoter polymorphism genotype is associated with temperament, personality traits and illegal drugs use among adolescents |
| |
Authors: | G Gerra L Garofano L Castaldini F Rovetto A Zaimovic G Moi M Bussandri B Branchi F Brambilla G Friso C Donnini |
| |
Institution: | (1) Centro Studi Farmaco-tossicodipendenze, Ser.T., AUSL, Italy;(2) Reparto Investigazioni Scientifiche (RIS), Carabinieri di Parma, Università degli Studi di Parma, Parma, Italy;(3) Facoltà di Psicologia, Università degli Studi di Parma, Parma, Italy;(4) Dipartimento di Genetica Antropologia Evoluzione, Università degli Studi di Parma, Parma, Italy |
| |
Abstract: | Summary. Serotonin transporter promoter polymorphism (5-HTTLPR) genotype was previously found associated with substance use disorders,
particularly in the subjects with comorbid antisocial behavior, and with temperament and personality traits at risk for substance
abuse. Aim of the present study was to evaluate the possible association between 5-HTTLPR genotype and the availability to
experiment illegal drugs among adolescents, in relationship with psychological characteristics. 216 caucasian high school
students (aged 14–19 ys), 125 abstinent subjects, who have never experimented psychotropic drugs, and 91 experimenters of
illegal drugs have been genotyped. Aggressiveness levels and temperamental traits were measured in both abstinent subjects
and experimenters utilizing respectively Buss-Durkee-Hostility-Inventory (BDHI) and Cloninger Three-dimensional Personality
Questionnaire (TPQ). Data about school performance have been also collected. The short-short (SS) genotype frequency was significantly
higher among experimenters compared with abstinent subjects (p = 0.001). The odds ratio for the SS genotype vs the long-long
(LL) genotype frequency was 4.67, 95% Cl (1.97–11.04), when experimenters were compared with abstinent students. The SS genotype
frequency was significantly higher among aggressive/novelty seeker (NS) experimenters with poor school achievements, compared
with drugs experimenters without aggressiveness and school failure (p = 0.02). When evaluated on the entire sample, BDHI mean
total scores, NS scores at TPQ and school failure frequency were significantly higher in SS individuals, in comparison with
LL subjects. Our data suggest that a decreased expression of the gene encoding the 5-HTT transporter, due to “S” promoter
polymorphism, may be associated with an increased availability to experiment illegal drugs among adolescents, particularly
in the subjects with more consistent aggressiveness, NS temperament and learning disabilities. |
| |
Keywords: | : Serotonin transporter genetic polymorphism illegal drugs experimenters aggressiveness novelty seeking school achievements |
本文献已被 PubMed SpringerLink 等数据库收录! |
|