Brief research communication: Association study of two polymorphisms of the serotonin-2A receptor gene and suicide attempts

Serotonin (5-HT) receptors may have a role in suicidal behavior. Previous studies have shown an association between the T102C polymorphism of the 5-HT2a receptor gene and suicidal behavior. However, negative findings have also been reported. We examined the association between the T102C and C1354T (His452Tyr) polymorphisms of the 5-HT2a receptor gene and suicide attempts. Four hundred forty-one suicide attempters, 339 psychiatric patients, and 410 healthy controls were compared for genotypes of the T102C and C1354T (His452Tyr) polymorphisms. There were significant differences in the distribution of the three genotypes (TT, TC, and CC) of the T102C polymorphism in the three groups (controls, psychiatric patients, and suicide attempters). There was an excess of C/C genotypes in the suicide attempter group compared with the control group, but there were no significant differences between suicide attempters and psychiatric controls. We found no association between the C1354T polymorphism and suicide attempts. The C allele of the T102C polymorphism of the 5-HT2A receptor gene may be associated with biological susceptibility for suicidal behavior or psychiatric conditions.