Chunk #15 — 3. Pharmacogenetic Studies of Treatment for Alcohol Use Disorder in Individuals of Diverse Ancestries — 3.1 Individuals of European Ancestry
In addition to the Asn40Asp polymorphism, research has been conducted on other SNPs that influence AUD medication response in individuals of European ancestry, specifically, in regards to the serotonin transporter promoter polymorphism (for review see38). These data suggest that future research should probe the association between the identified SNPs and response to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), including sertraline and fluoxetine. A study by Johnson et al. investigated the effect of variation at a VNTR in the serotonin transporter gene to examine whether it predicted treatment response to ondansetron, a 5-HT3 antagonist, in participants primarily of European ancestry (n=283).39 The study duration was 11 weeks and participants received cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) plus treatment or placebo. They found that LL homozygotes of the 5-HTTLPR polymorphism of the SLC6A4 gene had a much better response to the medication, such that drinks per drinking day were lower and percent days abstinent were higher compared to LS/SS participants. An additional benefit was seen in individuals who were TT homozygotes of the rs1042173 SNP in the same gene, such that SLC6A4-LL/TT individuals had the
