Association study of serotonin transporter availability and SLC6A4 gene polymorphisms in patients with major depression

The serotonin transporter (SERT) is hypothesized to be an important component of the pathophysiology of major depression (MD). The aim of this study was to use [123I]ADAM single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) to explore whether SERT availability in four regions of the brain (striatum, thalamus, midbrain and pons) is different in patients with MD and healthy individuals. The effects of three genetic variants (rs25531, rs6354 and STin2) of the serotonin transporter gene (SLC6A4) on SERT availability were also investigated. This study included 40 MD patients and 12 controls. The mean specific uptake ratio (SUR) values in the thalamus differed significantly between MD patients and controls. Genetic variants of SLC6A4, age, gender, severity of depression, and smoking behavior did not influence SERT availability. SERT availability might be a useful biomarker of the development of MD; however, a larger sample size is needed to provide more concrete evidence.