Am J Psychiatry 1995; 152:437-440
Copyright © 1995 by American Psychiatric Association
Exclusion of the 5-HT1A serotonin neuroreceptor and tryptophan oxygenase genes in a large British kindred multiply affected with Tourette's syndrome, chronic motor tics, and obsessive-compulsive behavior
PM Brett, D Curtis, MM Robertson and HM Gurling
Academic Psychiatry Department, University College London Medical School, England.
OBJECTIVE: Previous studies have demonstrated a relationship between
obsessive-compulsive disorder or behavior and Gilles de la Tourette
syndrome. It has been hypothesized that the serotonergic system is
implicated in the etiology of obsessive-compulsive disorder. Therefore, the
authors investigated whether genetic variation in a serotonergic receptor
and a modifying enzyme were associated with Tourette's syndrome. METHOD: A
linkage analysis using DNA and blood group markers was carried out in a
large British kindred multiply affected with Tourette's syndrome, chronic
motor tics, and obsessive-compulsive behavior. RESULTS: There was no
evidence to support the hypothesis that genetic variation in the serotonin
5-HT1A receptor and tryptophan oxygenase genes causes susceptibility to
Tourette's syndrome and chronic multiple tics. CONCLUSIONS: The results
eliminate two possible candidate genes from having a role in the
pathophysiology of Tourette's syndrome.
