Serotonin 2a receptor T102C polymorphism and impaired impulse control

Patients homozygous for the C allele of the T102C serotonin (5-HT) 2a receptor polymorphism have shown increased suicidal ideation or behavior in some reports, but not in others. We conducted a pilot investigation to determine whether this polymorphism might relate more specifically to a dimension of impaired impulse control, which may underlie only a portion of suicides. Rates of commission (impulsive) errors in a variant of the Continuous Performance Test (CPT) were compared across the genotypes of the T102C polymorphism in adults recruited from the community. The 102C/102C genotype was jointly associated with a greater incidence of past mood disorder or substance-use disorder, as well as significantly more commission errors compared to the 102T/102C and 102C/102C genotypes. These preliminary data suggest that the T102C 5-HT2a receptor polymorphism may be a marker for impaired behavior control - perhaps in the context of psychiatric disorder history.