Polymorphism in the serotonin transporter gene polymorphisms (5-HTTLPR) modifies the association between significant life events and depression in people with multiple sclerosis

Background: In the general population, variation in the serotonin-transporter-linked polymorphic region (5-HTTLPR) has been shown to modify the association between stressful events and depression/anxiety. This has not been examined in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). Objective: We examined the i...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Multiple sclerosis 2019-05, Vol.25 (6), p.848-855
Main Authors: Saul, Alice, Taylor, Bruce, Simpson, Steve, Ponsonby, Anne-Louise, Blizzard, Leigh, Dwyer, Terence, McMorran, Brendan, Wood, Brenda, van der Mei, Ingrid AF
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Aged
Alleles
Anxiety
Depression - etiology
Depression - genetics
Female
Gene polymorphism
Gene-Environment Interaction
Humans
Life Change Events
Longitudinal Studies
Male
Middle Aged
Multiple sclerosis
Multiple Sclerosis - psychology
Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide
Serotonin
Serotonin Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins - genetics
Serotonin transporter
Severity of Illness Index
Young Adult
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Summary:Background: In the general population, variation in the serotonin-transporter-linked polymorphic region (5-HTTLPR) has been shown to modify the association between stressful events and depression/anxiety. This has not been examined in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). Objective: We examined the interaction between significant life events (SLE), 5-HTTLPR and depression/anxiety. Methods: A population-based longitudinal cohort of 198 people with MS was followed biannually for 2.5 years. Depression and anxiety symptoms were measured at each review using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). SLEs were assessed using a questionnaire based on the Social Readjustment Rating Scale. Results: We found an interaction between SLE load in the previous 12 months and functional variation in the 5-HTTLPR allele type in predicting depression, with the association between SLE load and depression being stronger for those with S/S allele type (β = 0.21 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.09–0.33) per 10-unit increase) and S/L (β = 0.14 (95% CI: 0.05–0.24)) compared to L/L allele type (β = 0.04 (95% CI: −0.05 to 0.24); pinteraction 
ISSN:1352-4585
1477-0970
DOI:10.1177/1352458518770021