Pharmacogenetics analysis of serotonin receptor gene variants and clinical response to risperidone in Han Chinese schizophrenic patients

Assessments of the pharmacological profiles of antipsychotic agents have shown that the serotonin receptor family is often involved in their pharmacodynamics. Response to antipsychotic therapy is highly variable, yet prognostic biomarkers are lacking. The aim of the study was to investigate the association of 14 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) selected from HTR3C, HTR3D, HTR5A and HTR6 with risperidone response in 201 Han Chinese schizophrenia patients. The results showed that the HTR6 rs6699866 was significantly associated with risperidone response and predicted greater positive symptom reduction in risperidone-treated subjects (P =  0.04 and 0.004, respectively). The current study provides insight into the relationship between genetic polymorphisms in serotonin receptor family and risperidone therapeutic response in Han Chinese population. To clarify the role of these SNPs in clinical response to antipsychotic medication, and risperidone in particular, the study warrants further investigation in larger well-characterized samples.