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Therapygenetics: 5-HTTLPR genotype predicts the response to exposure therapy for agoraphobia
Inge Knuts1, Gabriel Esquivel2, Gunter Kenis2
1School for Mental Health en Neuroscience, Maastricht University and Mondriaan, Vijverdalseweg 1, gebouw Concorde, 6226 NB Maastricht, The Netherlands.
Abstract:
This study was intended to assess the extent to which the low-expression allele of the serotonin transporter gene promoter predicts better response to exposure-based behavior therapy in patients with panic disorder with agoraphobia (PDA). Ninety-nine patients with PDA underwent a 1-week in vivo exposure-based behavior therapy program and provided saliva samples to extract genomic DNA and classify individuals according to four allelic forms (SA, SG, LA, LG) of the 5-HTT-linked polymorphic region (5-HTTLPR). We determined whether the 5-HTTLPR genotype predicted change in avoidance behavior in PDA following treatment. After controlling for pre-treatment avoidance behavior, the 5-HTTLPR low-expression genotypes showed a more favorable response to exposure therapy two weeks following treatment, compared to the other patients. This study suggests a genetic contribution to treatment outcome following behavior therapy and implicates the serotonergic system in response to exposure-based treatments in PDA.
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