Social adjustment could be associated with the serotonin transporter gene in remitted patients with mood disorders and healthy subjects

Abstract

We investigated the serotonin transporter gene (5-HTTLPR) in the functioning of euthymic patients with mood disorders (n=285) and healthy controls (n=94). The 5-HTTLPR genotype showed marginal associations with working, familial and social adjustment, with marked differences between controls and patients. Because of the exploratory nature of our analyses, all results should be viewed with caution. However, we observed how the s/s variant, commonly associated with detrimental effects, could be beneficial in specific areas of social adjustment.