Low level of harm avoidance is associated with serotonin transporter functional haplotype in alcohol dependent subjects

Aims: The serotonin transporter gene (SLC6A4) encodes a trans-membrane protein (5-HTT) playing an important role in regulating serotonergic neurotransmission, which is known to be involved in many psychiatric disorders. A polymorphism in the transcriptional control region containing long (L) and short (S) variants (5-HTTLPR) as well as alleles of the variable number tandem repeats (VNTR) region were demonstrated. Higher serotonin levels among carriers of the S-allele might exhibit increased liability of serotonin mediated psychopathology like anxiety and depression and may impair social skills reflected by harm…