There is no evidence for an association between the serotonin receptor 3A gene C178T polymorphism and tardive dyskinesia in Korean schizophrenia patients

Background: Tardive dyskinesia (TD) is a potential adverse effect of long-term treatment with antipsychotics. Previous studies have suggested a link between brain serotonergic systems and TD vulnerability. A recent report described that a serotonin 3 receptor (5-HTR3) agonist induced rhythmic movements in mice with complete paraplegia. Furthermore, it has been reported that the 5-HTR3 antagonist ondansetron is efficacious in the treatment of Gilles de la Tourette syndrome (GTS). Aim: The aim of the present study was to determine whether the 5-HTR3A gene C178T polymorphism is associated with antipsychotic-induced TD in Korean schizophrenia patients. Methods: We investigated 280 Korean schizophrenia patients. Subjects with TD (n = 105) and without TD (n = 175) were matched for antipsychotic drug exposure and other relevant variables. Results: The distributions of genotypic (chi-squared = 3.55, p = 0.169) and allelic (chi-squared = 0.40, p = 0.528) frequencies did not differ between patients with and without TD. The total score on the Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale also did not differ between the two genotype groups (F = 0.94, p = 0.391). Conclusions: The findings of the present study do not support the involvement of the 5-HTR3A gene C178T polymorphism in TD in Korean schizophrenia subjects.