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Serotonin transporter gene and obese females with impulsivity

Molecular Psychiatry volume 7, pages 829–830 (2002)Cite this article

SIR – Obesity is a multifactorial condition most often defined by the body mass index (BMI).1 Some obese patients have concurrent psychiatric disorders and specific temperamental factors, such as compulsivity, impulsivity and neuroticism, which in turn may contribute to develop tendencies to overeat. Several lines of evidence implicate the serotoninergic system in the development of obesity. Clinical evidence suggests that the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) suppress food intake, whereas antagonists have the opposite effect.2 The serotonin transporter (5-HTT) is the site of action of the SSRIs. A functional polymorphism (5-HTTLPR) has been described in the promoter region of the 5-HTT gene, which consist of a 44 bp insertion (‘l’ allele) or deletion (‘s’ allele), which have different transcriptional activities.3

We analysed the effect of 5-HTTLPR variants on susceptibility to obesity using a family-based method. The sample consisted of 50 obese subjects (33 females and 17 males; mean age 32 ± 9.5 years) and their parents. Obese subjects were from the Weight Control Clinic at the National Institute of Medical Sciences and Nutrition, Mexico City if they had a BMI ≥30 kg m−2. In addition, the presence of impulsivity was assessed using the Plutchik's impulsivity scale Spanish version.4 All participants provided written informed consent.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Genética Psiquiátrica, Instituto Nacional de Psiquiatría Ramón de la Fuente Muñiz, Mexico DF, 14370, México

    B Camarena, H Santiago, F Montiel, C Cruz & H Nicolini

  2. Departamento de Psicología Médica, Psiquiatría y Salud Mental, UNAM, México DF, México

    E Ruvinskis

  3. Clínica de Obesidad, Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas de la Nutrición Salvador Zubirán, México DF, México

    J González-Barranco

Authors
  1. B Camarena
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  2. E Ruvinskis
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  3. H Santiago
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  4. F Montiel
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  5. C Cruz
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  6. J González-Barranco
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  7. H Nicolini
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to H Nicolini.

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Camarena, B., Ruvinskis, E., Santiago, H. et al. Serotonin transporter gene and obese females with impulsivity. Mol Psychiatry 7, 829–830 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.mp.4001096

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.mp.4001096

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