Interaction between Serotonin Transporter and Serotonin Receptor 1 B genes polymorphisms may be associated with antisocial alcoholism

We recruited 273 Han Chinese male inmates with antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) [antisocial alcoholism (AS-ALC) group (n？=？120) and antisocial non-alcoholism (AS-N-ALC) group (n？=？153)] and 191 healthy male controls from the community. Genotyping was done using PCR-RFLP.There were no significant differences in the genotypic frequency of the 5-HT1B G861C polymorphism between the 3 groups. Although AS-ALC group members more frequently carried the 5-HTTLPR S/S, S/LG, and LG/LG genotypes than controls, the difference became non-significant after controlling for the covarying effects of age. However, the 5-HTTLPR S/S, S/LG, and LG/LG genotypes may have interacted with the 5-HT1B G861C C/C polymorphism and increased the risk of becoming antisocial alcoholism.Our study suggests that neither the 5-HTTLPR gene nor the 5-HT1B G861C polymorphism alone is a risk factor for antisocial alcoholism in Taiwan’s Han Chinese population, but that the interaction between both genes may increase susceptibility to antisocial alcoholism.Alcoholism (also: alcohol dependence) is a complex, heterogeneous disorder that is influenced by multiple genes as well as sociocultural factors [1,2]. Twin studies have shown that genetic factors account for about 50-60% of the overall variance in alcoholism [3-5]. Many candidate genes have been studied; however, the results are controversial. Therefore, to reduce the heterogeneity of alcoholism by proper subtyping is important. In addition, a gene-to-gene interaction approach may be more revealing than a single-gene approach for studying alcoholism. By using appropriate subtypes of alcoholism and the gene-to gene interaction approach, the results may be more conclusive.Cloninger (1987) identified two subtypes of alcoholism. Type I alcoholism is characterized by late onset, more psychological dependence, and anxious/depressed personality traits. Individuals with type II alcoholism are characterized by early onset, a higher familial risk for alcoholis