Association of serotonin receptor 2a haplotypes with obsessive-compulsive disorder and its treatment response in Iranian patients: a genetic and pharmacogenetic study

Introduction: Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a debilitating psychiatric disorder causing intrusive thoughts or repetitive behaviors. Serotonin reuptake inhibitors are used for OCD treatment, but 40%-60% of patients do not respond to them adequately. In this study, the associations of serotonin receptor 2a polymorphisms rs6311 and rs6313 with OCD, its familial form and fluvoxamine treatment response in Iranian population were investigated. Patients and methods: Association analyses were conducted in 293 OCD cases fulfilling the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)-IV-TR and 245 controls. Pharmacotherapy was defined as 12 weeks of treatment with fluvoxamine (150-300 mg). Treatment response was considered as >25% reduction in Yale - Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale score. Genotyping was performed by means of PCR-RFLP. Results: The results showed no association of rs6311 or rs6313 with OCD, but their haplotypes had different distribution patterns in cases and controls. Moreover, rs6313 was associated with the familial form of OCD in females significantly (P=0.005) under the recessive genetic model. Moreover, rs6311-rs6313 haplotypes were associated with fluvoxamine treatment response in OCD patients with more AC and less AT in responders. Conclusion: HTR2A haplotypes are associated with OCD and its treatment response with a fluvoxamine in Iranian patients. Furthermore, the observed association of rs6313 with the familial form of OCD in females suggests different genetic background of OCD familial and non-familial forms, which needs further investigation.