Association of the 5-HT6 receptor gene polymorphism C267T with Parkinson’s disease

Abstract

The effects of serotonin (5-HT) in the CNS are mediated through receptor subtypes distinguished by seven major families. The 5-HT6 receptor gene maps to the human chromosome region 1p35-p36 and a polymorphism (C267T) of the 5-HT6 gene has been associated with the risk of developing schizophrenia.1 Unlike most 5-HT receptors, the 5-HT6 receptor is highly expressed in the striatum,2 suggesting a possible involvement of this receptor in the extrapyramidal function. In this study, we investigated whether the allelic variant C267T of the 5-HT6 gene could contribute to the risk for developing PD. Patients diagnosed with sporadic PD (n = 243) and control subjects (n = 234) were included in our study. Patients with PD were consecutively selected starting in March 1999 until December 2000 from the outpatients attending the Institute of Neurology of the University of Catanzaro, Italy. PD was defined by the presence of at least two of four cardinal signs (bradykinesia, rigidity, rest tremor, and postural instability). Only cases with idiopathic PD responsive to levodopa were included. No patient had …