Some studies have shown interactive effects between childhood trauma (measured by the CTQ) and CRHR1 variation, including SNPs genotyped in our study: rs110402 and rs242924, on adult depression/depressive effects (Bradley et al., 2008; Heim et al., 2009; Polanczyk et al., 2009), and cortisol response (Tyrka et al., 2009); and rs4792887 on suicidality in individuals with low stress exposure (Wasserman et al., 2008). The one finding of the current study was that the non-ancestral allele of CRHR1 rs9900679, unique to African ancestry, was protective against suicide attempt. Since no studies have associated CRH or CRHR2 variation with suicidality other than one study indicating a CRHR2 microsatellite association with severity of suicidal behavior in bipolar disorder (De Luca et al., 2007), our negative findings for CRH and CRHR2 were as predicted.
