Association of Polymorphisms in the SLIT2 Axonal Guidance Gene With Anger in Suicide Attempters

In this letter to the editor, the authors report a study testing the hypothesis that genetic risk factors may shape an individual’s suicidal vulnerability during the development of the central nervous system, through polymorphisms in axonal guidance genes. The study design used nuclear family trios (both parents & one affected offspring) from the Ukraine. All offspring had made at least one medically serious suicide attempt. Results suggest the importance of axonal guidance genes in shaping vulnerability to suicide, likely in the direction of the aggression/impulsivity phenotype. (10 refs.)