Archive 1992–2014

Objective. To assess polymorphism of the 5-HT2A serotonin receptor gene promoter (-1438 G/A) in patients with seasonal affective disorder (winter depression).
Method. The rates of the 5-HT2A promoter (-1438 G/A) polymorphism in a group of 29 patients with seasonal affective disorder (SAD), 32 depressive inpatients with non-seasonal affective disorder, and 198 controls with hypercholesterolemia and no mental disorders were estimated.
Results. The A/G genotype and A allele were more frequently present in the group of SAD patients as compared to non-SAD depressive inpatients and the controls, but the differences were not significant (p2 test; p = 0.174 and 0.503, respectively). Further investigations are planned.
Conclusions. The findings are not conclusive, but promising, so continuation of research in this direction seems justified.