Differences and Similarities in the Serotonergic Diathesis for Suicide Attempts and Mood Disorders: a 22-Year Longitudinal Gene-Environment Study

To investigate similarities & differences in the serotonergic diathesis for mood disorders & suicide attempts, the authors conducted a study of a cohort followed longitudinally for 22 years. A total of 1255 members, representative of the French-speaking population of Quebec, were studied. 5 genes showed significant adjusted effects. Of these, HTR2A variation influenced both suicide attempts & mood disorders, although through different mechanisms. Of the serotonergic genes implicated in mood disorders & suicidal behaviour, 4 exhibited phenotype-specific effects, suggesting that despite their high concordance & common genetic determinants, suicide attempts & mood disorders may also have partially independent etiological pathways. (112 refs.) JA