Association between suicide attempts and 5-HTTLPR-S-Allele in alcohol-dependent and control subjects: further evidence from a german alcohol-dependent inpatient sample

Background: Genetically-mediated alterations in serotonergic transmission have been implicated in both the pathogenesis of alcoholism and suicidal behavior. Thus, the identification of vulnerability genes could uncover pathophysiological links for both syndromes. A significant association between suicide attempts and the 5-HTT promoter polymorphisms (5-HTTLPR) S-allele has been reported in a sample of French alcohol-dependent subjects, and this paper evaluates this phenomenon in a German sample. Methods: One hundred and sixty-three patients meeting DSM-IV criteria for alcohol dependence and 117 healthy controls were investigated. Blood samples were taken to genotype the 5-HTTLPR by using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) of lymphocyte DNA. Results: 5-HTTLPR-S alleles were seen more frequently in suicidal compared to nonsuicidal alcohol-dependent subjects. Furthermore, significant effects from suicide attempts on the number of S-alleles were found. Conclusions: The results are consistent with an association between the 5-HTTLPR-S-allele and suicide attempts in alcohol-dependent subjects.