studies (including 3,489 alcohol dependent and 2,325 control participants) found support for a significant association between this polymorphism and diagnosis, with alcohol dependent participants being 18% more likely to possess at least 1 short (s) allele relative to control participants (Feinn et al., 2005). Given these initial promising results for an association between 5HTTLPR and alcohol dependence, the number of studies in this area has almost doubled since the publication of the Feinn and colleagues (2005) review. The goal of the current study was to attempt to replicate the findings of Feinn and colleagues (2005), by updating their review with the studies published subsequent to their analysis, and to systematically assess for publication bias.
