Tardive dyskinesia is not associated with the serotonin gene polymorphism (5-HTTLPR) in Chinese

Neuroleptics are the mainstay of treatment for schizophrenia, but one of th e complications is the development of tardive dyskinesia (TD). The pathophy siology of TD may involve dopamine-serotonin interaction. The serotonin tra nsporter participates in the reuptake and termination of serotonin neurotra nsmission, and the gene that codes for this protein is thus a candidate gen e for the development of TD. There is a functional polymorphism in the tran scriptional control region of the serotonin transporter gene, and we invest igated the association between this polymorphism and TD in Chinese schizoph renic patients. The patients who did not differ in age and sex distribution did not show variation on the rates of TD and Abnormal Involuntary Movemen ts Scale (AIMS) scores with genotypes. Our findings suggest that 5-HTTLPR p olymorphism is not a risk factor for TD in Chinese. (C) 2000 Wiley-Liss, In c.