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Updated: Jul 17, 2026

Rapid In Situ Hybridization using Oligonucleotide Probes on Paraformaldehyde-prefixed Brain of Rats with Serotonin Syndrome
Published on: September 23, 2015
Association study of serotonin 2A receptor (5-HT2A) and serotonin transporter (5-HTT) gene polymorphisms with
Pilar A Sáiz1, M Paz García-Portilla, Celso Arango
1Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of Oviedo, Julián Clavería 6 - 3 degrees, 33006 Oviedo, Spain. frank@uniovi.es
Objective:
To investigate (i) the association between four serotonergic polymorphisms (A-1438G and T102C of the 5-HT2A receptor gene, and 5-HTT VNTR and 5-HTTLPR of the 5-HT transporter gene) and schizophrenia and (ii) the potential interaction of those polymorphisms in the development of schizophrenia.
Subjects And Methods:
227 outpatients with schizophrenia (DSM-IV criteria) and 420 unrelated healthy controls from Asturias (Northern Spain) were genotyped using standard methods.
Results:
Both groups showed Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium for the analyzed genetic variability. A-1438G and T102C polymorphisms are in complete linkage disequilibrium in our population. There was an apparent difference in the distribution of genotypes for the A-1438G (or T102C) polymorphisms (p=0.018, not significant after a Bonferroni correction). The 5-HT2A -1438A (or 102T) allele was significantly more frequent in patients than controls (0.53 and 0.45, respectively; corrected p=0.028, OR=1.39 (95% CI=1.11-1.75)). Genotype and allele distributions for 5-HTT polymorphisms were similar in both groups. However, assessment of the combined influence of 5-HT2A A-1438G and 5-HTTLPR polymorphisms demonstrated a significant effect (chi(2) (3)=11.51, p=0.009), whereby the combination of -1438A and 5-HTTLPR S alleles was associated with schizophrenia.
Conclusions:
Our findings support a possible synergistic effect of genetic factors influencing serotonergic neurotransmission on susceptibility to schizophrenia.
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