[Serotonin transporter gene polymorphism and factors influencing mental and physical health in aging].
Genetic predisposition is thought to exert a certain influence on the indices related to longevity and quality of life. Many of the indices, namely cognitive functioning, stress resistance, metabolism control, may be related to serotonin activity. To study polymorphic serotonin transporter gene variants and their association with features relevant for survival and longevity prognosis, a sample of elderly Russians from Moscow community recruited in the project "Stress-related mechanisms in Russia", comprising 196 subjects, mean age 76.2+/-5.3 years, 155 men, 41 women, has been genotyped. Allele and genotype frequencies have been estimated in 3 groups, aged 60-69, 70-79 and 80-87 years, respectively. A trend (chi2=4.1; p=0.12) to the prevalence of individuals with SS genotype (21.8%), as compared to expected level (14.6%), was found in the group of octogenarians (n=55, mean age 82.8+/-1.9 years). An association analysis between genotype and physiological traits revealed a genotype contribution to past smoking on tendency level (p=0.069), waist to hip ratio (WHR) (p=0.012) and plasma insulin concentration (p=0.02), with a higher frequency of SS genotype among non-smokers and subjects with lower WHR and insulin concentration. Genotype effect on the traits was stronger, being considered in interaction with the age above 80 years. Genotype was not associated with cognitive functioning (MMSE), but proved to be a significant predictor of MMSE performance (p=0.03) in octogenarians. The results obtained are in line with current concepts of serotonin role in smoking, obesity and cognitive functioning.