Depression in Adolescence: Relevance of Serotonin Receptor Polymorphisms

Depression in adolescence is influenced by the environment, family members, social relationships, and genetic factors. Gene polymorphisms of serotonin receptors were associated with mental/psychiatric disorders, including impulsive, aggressive, violent, antisocial or criminal conduct, schizophrenia, eating disorders, alexithymia, autism, and major depressive disorder (MDD). Few studies reported the association between serotonin receptor polymorphisms and depressive symptoms in nonclinical subjects. The present study aimed to evaluate the serotonin receptor polymorphisms in nonclinical adolescents presenting depressive symptoms. The results clearly demonstrated that nonclinical adolescents with severe depressive symptoms had a high concentration of GA + AA in the recessive model and of AA in the homozygous model of the rs6311 polymorphism. The data indicated that the A allele was associated with severe depressive symptoms. Moreover, the analysis highlighted a trend of association of TT + CT in the recessive model for rs6313 polymorphism and severe symptoms. In conclusion, our study confirms that the A allele for rs6311 represents a risk factor, and the allele T for rs6313 could be a possible risk factor for severe depressive symptoms. As a consequence, the allele G for rs6311 and the allele C for rs6313 could be protective against severe depressive symptoms. Therefore, it might be appropriate to work preventively on adolescents with the A allele for rs6311 and T allele for rs6313 polymorphism to reduce the possibility of developing depressive symptoms and to preserve mental health in young people.