The association of serotonin receptor genes polymorphisms with CSF, genetic, and neuropsychological biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease

Serotonergic receptors are affected in Alzheimer's disease (AD). The overall decrease in the serotonergic transmission is also observed in AD. Previous studies showed the association of polymorphisms in genes for serotonin (5HT) receptors with behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD). In this study, we aimed to test if individuals carrying different genotypes in 5HTR2A rs 6313 (T102C), 5HTR1B rs13212041, 5HTR6 rs1805054 (C267T), and 5HTR2C rs 3813929 (-795C/T) polymorphisms have a higher risk for development of AD. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) AD biomarkers, neuropsychological tests, and apolipoprotein E (APOE) haplotype were determined in 115 AD patients and 53 mildly cognitively impaired patients, while 2701 cognitively healthy individuals with determined APOE haplotype were also included. We observed that all four analyzed polymorphisms in genes for 5HT receptors showed an association with either CSF, neuropsychological or genetic biomarkers of AD. Thus, the potential of these polymorphisms as early genetic biomarkers of AD should be further investigated.