Relationship between three serotonin receptor subtypes (HTR3A, HTR2A and HTR4) and treatment-resistant schizophrenia in the Japanese population

The proportion of treatment-resistant schizophrenia (TRS) has been estimated as 20-40% in the schizophrenic patients. Genetic factors are considered to be involved in the development of this condition. Serotonin subtypes are hypothesized to be the candidate genes. In the present study, single marker and haplotype analyses between several mutations of serotonin receptor subtypes (HTR2A, HTR3A and HTR4) and TRS (TRS = 101, NON-TRS = 239) were performed to determine a possible relationship with the development of TRS. Additionally, we also compared the daily neuroleptic dosage among each genotype. No significant association was observed between TRS and each allele, genotype, and haplotype. However, the daily neuroleptic dosage that patients had been receiving during their maintenance therapy was significantly higher in patients with the T/T genotype of HTR3A polymorphism (rs1062613, p = 0.041). The present results support further research to examine the relationship between HTR3A polymorphism and the development of TRS in the Japanese population.