Suicide, impulsive aggression, and HTR1B genotype

Background: Suicidality and impulsive aggression are partially heritable, and postmortem brain studies suggest that abnormalities in serotonin 1B may be associated with suicide. Studies of serotonin 1B "knockout" mice show an increase in aggressive behavior relative to wild-type mice. Methods: We assessed the relationship between genotype at the HTR1B locus and both suicide history and impulsive aggression in personality disorders. Results: The "G" allele of a polymorphic gene at the HTR1B locus was associated with a history of suicide attempts in white patients with personality disorders [x²(1) = 9.3, p = .01, n = 90]. No relationship was found between HTR1B genotype and self-reported impulsive aggression. Conclusions: This preliminary finding suggests that allelic variability at the HTR1B locus may be associated with the susceptibility to suicide attempts in patients with personality disorders.