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Serotonin transporter polymorphism and potential response to SSRIs in bulimia nervosa

Molecular Psychiatry volume 10, pages 716–718 (2005)Cite this article

Sir—Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), alone or in combination with different psychotherapies and/or nutritional counselling, have been proved to reduce binge eating and vomiting frequencies in patients with bulimia nervosa (BN). However, percent reductions in bingeing and purging range from 18 to 87%.1 It has been suggested that the initial capacity, affinity or genotype of proteins involved in the regulation of SSRI action could account for differences in treatment outcome.2 The 5-HT transporter (5-HTT) represents the prime target of SSRIs, and a long (L) and a short (S) variant of the promoter region of the 5-HTT gene, with different transcriptional efficiencies, have been identified.3 The S allele of the 5-HTT gene-linked polymorphic region (5-HTTLPR) has been associated with poorer SSRI response in major depression.2, 4, 5, 6, 7

To test the hypothesis that the 5-HTTLPR is associated to SSRI response also in BN, we performed the screening of the 5-HTTLPR in 47 bulimic outpatients undergoing a 12-week treatment with SSRIs plus nutritional counselling in a naturalistic setting (30 patients received fluoxetine, six paroxetine, five sertraline, three fluvoxamine, two citalopram and one escitalopram).

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References

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry, University of Naples SUN, Naples, Italy

    P Monteleone, A Tortorella, M Fabrazzo, E Castaldo, A Fuschino & M Maj

  2. Department of Neurosciences, University of Padua, Padua, Italy

    P Santonastaso & A Favaro

  3. Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Padua, Padua, Italy

    L Caregaro

Authors
  1. P Monteleone
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  2. P Santonastaso
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  3. A Tortorella
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  4. A Favaro
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  5. M Fabrazzo
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  6. E Castaldo
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  7. L Caregaro
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  8. A Fuschino
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  9. M Maj
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Correspondence to P Monteleone.

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Monteleone, P., Santonastaso, P., Tortorella, A. et al. Serotonin transporter polymorphism and potential response to SSRIs in bulimia nervosa. Mol Psychiatry 10, 716–718 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.mp.4001683

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