Serotonin transporter gene polymorphisms may be associated with poststroke neurological recovery after escitalopram use

Eun Jae Lee, Mi Sun Oh, Jong S. Kim, Dae Il Chang, Jong Ho Park, Jae Kwan Cha, Ji Hoe Heo, Sung Il Sohn, Dong Eog Kim, Hahn Young Kim, Jei Kim, Woo Keun Seo, Jun Lee, Sang Won Park, Yun Joong Kim, Byung Chul Lee

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

15 Scopus citations

Abstract

Objective Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) putatively improve neurological recovery after stroke. We aimed to investigate whether serotonin transporter (SERT) gene polymorphisms are related to the responsiveness to SSRIs in the poststroke neurological recovery. Methods This was a post hoc analysis of the EMOTION study (ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01278498), a randomised, placebo-controlled, double-blind trial examining the efficacy of escitalopram on emotional and neurological disturbances after acute stroke. Patients with no/minimal disability initially (modified Rankin Scale (mRS) 0-1) were excluded. Of the participants, 301 underwent genetic studies of the STin2 (a variable number tandem repeat (VNTR) in intron 2) (STin2 12/10 and STin2 12/12 genotypes) and 5-HTTLPR (a variable-length repeat in the promoter region) polymorphisms of SERT. We explored whether neurological function (National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score and mRS) at 3 months would differ according to SERT polymorphisms within each treatment arm (escitalopram and placebo). Results Among the escitalopram users (n=159), neurological function in subjects with STin2 12/10 (n=29) improved significantly more than that in STin2 12/12 carriers (n=130) at 3 months. After adjusting for age, initial NIHSS and depression, STin2 12/10 independently predicted a good clinical outcome (mRS 0-1) (OR 2.99, 95% CI 1.04 to 8.58) at 3 months. However, differences between STin2 polymorphisms were not shown in the placebo group (n=142). 5-HTTLPR polymorphisms were not associated with neurological recovery in any treatment group. Conclusion STin2 VNTR polymorphisms may be associated with poststroke neurological recovery after SSRI therapy. Further studies are needed to identify the role of serotonin in neurological recovery after stroke.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)271-276
Number of pages6
JournalJournal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry
Volume89
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - Mar 2018

Keywords

  • genedepression
  • motor recovery
  • serotonin
  • stroke

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