GABAA alpha-1 subunit gene not associated with depressive symptomatology in mood disorders.

ABSTRACT

Considerable evidence implicates the neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in the biochemical pathophysiology of mood disorders. In this study, we investigated the possibility that the gene for the gamma-aminobutyric acid type A (GABAA) receptor alpha-1 subunit (GABRA1) might be associated with depressive symptomatology in a sample of mood disorder subjects. Sixty-seven inpatients affected by unipolar (n = 37) and bipolar (n = 30) disorder (DSMIV) were assessed at admission by the Hamilton depression rating scale (HAMD) and were typed using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) techniques. GABRA1 variants were not associated with depressive symptomatology, and consideration of possible stratification effects such as sex, psychiatric diagnosis and illness severity did not reveal any association either. GABAA alpha-1 subunit gene is not, therefore, associated with depressive symptomatology in mood disorder subjects.