Polymorphism of Dopamine Transporter Gene(DAT1) in Korean Social Phobia Patients: Preliminary Study

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: Although polymorphism of dopamine transporter gene(DAT1) has been considered to be implicated in the pathogenesis of social phobia, previous investigations have been inconsistent and controversial. The authors investigated the relationship between DAT1 polymorphism and social phobia in Koreans. METHODS: DAT1 and alleles of fifty subjects who met DSM-IV criterion of social phobia, and those of age- & sex- matched fifty normal controls in Korea were compared. Additionally, patients were grouped into generalized(33) and nongeneralized(17) types and DAT1 polymorphism was compared with that of age- & sex- matched controls. DAT1 with variable number of tandem repeats(VNTR) were determined by using polymerase chain reaction. To compare the distribution of the DAT1 polymorphism between different groups, Fisher`s exact test was used. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in either genotypic(p=0.451) or allelic(p=0.452) distributions between the social phobia patients and the controls. There also were no differences in genotypic distribution between subtypes of social phobia patients and the controls. CONCLUSION: We couldn't find any association between DAT1 polymorphism and social phobia. Further studies including larger number of samples and diverse clinical variables should be conducted to elucidate the present findings.