J Korean Neuropsychiatr Assoc.  2004 Mar;43(2):183-188.

An Association Study of the Impulsiveness and Aggressiveness in Adolescent Prisoners with Serotonin Transporter Gene Promoter Region Polymorphism

• Lee JH
• Kim HT
• Joe KH

Abstract

OBJECTIVES
This study was carried out to explore the relationship between the impulsiveness and aggressiveness in adolescent prisoners and a polymorphism of the promoter region of the 5-HTT gene (5HTTLPR).
METHODS
198 adolescent prisoner volunleers and 68 male medical students as a normal control group were included in this study. The characteristics of adolescent prisoners and control subjects were assessed by using Barratt Impulsiveness Scale and Achenbach's Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). Genotypes of 5-HTTLPR were analysed with the primers flanking the regulatory region from genomic DNA.
RESULTS
Adolescent prisoners were significantly more aggressive (t=4.780, df=248, p<0.001), impulsive (t=5.220, df=248, p<0.001), and delinquent (t=12.299, df=173.554, p<0.001) than control group. There were no statistically significant differences in genotype frequencies of 5-HTT between adolescent prisoners and control group (chi2=2.378, df=6, p=0.882). There were no statistically significant differences in allelic frequencies of 5-HTT between adolescent prisoners and control group (chi2=2.027, df=4, p=0.731).
CONCLUSION
In view of the negative results in the association of the promoter region polymorphism of serotonin transporter and the characteristics of adolescent prisoner, the promoter region polymorphism dose not appear to be a candidate gene for the characteristics of adolescent prisoner group. Further systematic researches including varying variables of phenotype would be required.

Keyword

Serotonin transporter; Impulsiveness; Aggressiveness; Polymorphism; Adolescent

MeSH Terms

Adolescent*
Checklist
Child
Child Behavior
DNA
Genotype
Humans
Male
Phenotype
Prisoners*
Prisons*
Promoter Regions, Genetic*
Regulatory Sequences, Nucleic Acid
Serotonin Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins*
Serotonin*
Students, Medical
DNA
Serotonin
Serotonin Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins