Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are a group of neurodevelopmental conditions characterized by impairments in communication and social interaction and repetitive and stereotyped behaviors. Serotoninergic transmission has been suggested as an important neuronal pathway in ASD. In this study, we analyzed four polymorphisms (5HTTLPR, rs2066713, STin2, rs1042173; 50 ! 30 end) at the serotonin transp...

Loss aversion, a well-documented behavioral phenomenon, characterizes decisions under risk in adult populations. As such, loss aversion may provide a reliable measure of risky behavior. Surprisingly, little is known about loss aversion in adolescents, a group who manifests risk-taking behavior, or in anxiety disorders, which are associated with risk-avoidance. Finally, loss aversion is expected...

The main aim of this study was to examine the association between attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)-associated genes and the course of ADHD. Subjects were derived from identically designed case-control family studies of boys and girls with ADHD and a genetic linkage study of families with children with ADHD. Caucasian probands and family members with ADHD and with available geneti...

It has been suggested that serotonergic hypofunction and serotonergic pathway genes underlie the somatic symptoms of somatoform disorders. We examined a variety of serotonin-related gene polymorphisms to determine whether undifferentiated somatoform disorder is associated with specific serotonin-related gene pathways. Serotonin-related polymorphic markers were assessed using single nucleotide p...

Age at onset (AAO) of bipolar disorders (BD) could be influenced both by a repeat length polymorphism (5HTTLPR) in the promoter region of the serotonin transporter gene (SLC6A4) and exposure to childhood trauma. We assessed 308 euthymic patients with BD for the AAO of their first mood episode and childhood trauma. Patients were genotyped for the 5HTTLPR (long/short variant) and the rs25531. Gen...

Here we examine the effects of both self-reported and independent observer-reported environmental risk indices, the serotonin transporter gene promoter (5HTTLPR) polymorphism, and their interaction on self-esteem. This trait was assessed during early and mid adolescence (mean age=14 and 16.5, respectively) and young adulthood (mean age=21.8) in a prospective cohort of 1214 unrelated participant...

Evidence that gene×environment interactions can reflect differential sensitivity to the environmental context, rather than risk or resilience, is increasing. To test this model, we examined the genetic contribution to indiscriminate social behavior, in the setting of a randomized controlled trial of foster care compared to institutional rearing. Children enrolled in the Bucharest Early Interven...