Meta-analysis of serotonin transporter gene promoter polymorphism (5-HTTLPR) association with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor efficacy in depressed patients

The serotonin transporter gene promoter polymorphism (5-HTTLPR) has been repeatedly associated with antidepressant response in mood disorder patients, but findings are not consistent across studies. A meta-analysis was performed on 15 studies including data of 1435 subjects. We tested three phenotypes: remission rate, response rate and response rate within 4 weeks using the cochrane review manager. We observed a significant association of the s/s variant of 5-HTTLPR with remission rate (P < 0.0001) and both s/s and s/l variants with response rate ( P = 0.0002). Response rate within 4 weeks was associated in both models (P = 0.003 - P < 0.00001). This effect is quite robust to ethnic differences although a significant heterogeneity is present in Asian samples.