Prevalence of seasonal affective disorder at four latitudes

Rosen, Leora N.; Targum, Steven D.; Terman, Michael; Bryant, M. J.; Hoffman, Howard J.; Kasper, Siegfried; Hamovit, Joelle R.; Docherty, John P.; Welch, Betty; Rosenthal, Norman E.

doi:10.1016/0165-1781(90)90116-m

Cited by 443 publications

(231 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…The GSS has acceptable test-retest reliability and discriminates between different clinical groups, 10 as well as between normal individuals living at different latitudes. 11 The mean and range of GSS scores were 16.5 and 16 for patients and 2.0 and 6 for controls respectively.…”

Section: Subjectsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Role of serotonin transporter promoter repeat length polymorphism (5-HTTLPR) in seasonality and seasonal affective disorder

et al. 1998

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Seasonal variations in mood and behavior (seasonality) and seasonal affective disorder (SAD) have been attributed to seasonal fluctuations in brain serotonin (5-HT). 1 the short (s), as opposed to the long (l), allele of the 5-HT transporter linked polymorphism (5-HTTLPR) has been associated with neuroticism and depression. 2,3 We hypothesized that this short allele would also be associated with SAD and with higher levels of seasonality. Ninety-seven SAD patients and 71 non-seasonal healthy controls with low seasonality levels were genotyped for 5-HTTLPR and compared statistically. Patients with SAD were less likely to have the l/l genotype (27.8% vs 47.9%; P Ͻ 0.01) and more likely to have the s allele (44.8% vs 32.4%; P Ͻ 0.02) as compared to controls. The three 5-HTTLPR genotypes were also differentially distributed in patients and controls (P Ͻ 0.03). The SAD patients with the l/l genotype had a lower mean seasonality score than did patients with the other two genotypes (mean ± s.d. = 15.3 ± 2.8 vs 17.1 ± 3.4 respectively; P Ͻ 0.02). The 5-HTTLPR short allele contributes to the trait of seasonality and is a risk factor for SAD, providing further evidence for a relationship betwen genetic variation in the 5-HT transporter (5-HTT) and behavior.The tendency for the majority of individuals in temperate latitudes to experience changes in behavior across the seasons has been termed seasonality. 4 Seasonality, as measured retrospectively by self-report, is a heritable trait 5 which varies in severity across individuals. Seasonality is present to a marked degree in patients with seasonal affective disorder (SAD), a condition of regularly recurring winter depressions alternating with non-depressed periods in spring and summer. 6 Although depression is also heritable, it is unclear whether SAD is inherited as a distinct entity or whether it affects individuals who are genetically susceptible to both seasonality and depression.SAD has been hypothesized to result from disturbed brain serotonergic transmission 1 and patients with SAD have been shown to respond abnormally to drugs that act on serotonin (5-HT) receptors and favorably to antidepressants that block the 5-HTT. 1 Seasonal fluctuations in 5-HT hypothalamic concentration have been reported post-mortem in the general population, with lowest levels occurring in winter. 7 As the behaviors that vary with the seasons, including appetite, sleep, weight regulation and mood, are controlled in part by 5-HT pathways, seasonality may also be related to seasonal fluctuations in 5-HT function.Given the importance of the 5-HTT in modulating 5-HT transmission 2 in the 5-HT synapse, variations in 5-HTT regulation may account for variations in seasonality in the general population and may be a risk factor for SAD. A polymorphism of the promoter of the 5-HTT gene [SCL6A4 localization on chromosome 17q12] has recently been described. 2 The polymorphism is an insertion or deletion of a 44-bp sequence located approximately 1 kb upstream from the coding sequence. The l and s variants...

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Section: Subjectsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Role of serotonin transporter promoter repeat length polymorphism (5-HTTLPR) in seasonality and seasonal affective disorder

et al. 1998

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“…Results from studies on samples from the general population in the USA (Kasper et al 1989;Rosen et al 1990;Terman 1988;Booker and Hellekson 1992) show prevalence rates of 2.6 -9.2%. This large range can partly be explained by latitude differences in samples studied (27°N -64°N) (Potkin et al 1986;Lingjaerde et al 1986).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The use of the same instrument in nearly all studies, the Seasonal Pattern Assessment Questionnaire (SPAQ; Rosenthal et al 1987) and the application of (more or less) the same criteria [formulated by Kasper et al (1989)] facilitates the comparison of studies (Rosen et al 1990).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The prevalence of seasonal affective disorder in the netherlands: a prospective and retrospective study of seasonal mood variation in the general population

Mersch

Middendorp

Bouhuys

et al. 1999

Biological Psychiatry

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“…The study finds that exposure to sunlight is positively related to workplace satisfaction and well-being and is negatively related to intentions to quit. Particularly for individuals with seasonal affective disorder, working in a region characterized by long, cold winters can lead to higher rates of mood disorders, such as depression (Rosen et al, 1990).…”

Section: Environmental Characteristicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Identifying Key Workplace Stressors Affecting Twentieth Air Force: Analyses Conducted from December 2012 Through February 2013

Hardison¹,

Rhodes²,

Mauro³

et al. 2014

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Prevalence of seasonal affective disorder at four latitudes

Cited by 443 publications

References 11 publications

Role of serotonin transporter promoter repeat length polymorphism (5-HTTLPR) in seasonality and seasonal affective disorder

Role of serotonin transporter promoter repeat length polymorphism (5-HTTLPR) in seasonality and seasonal affective disorder

The prevalence of seasonal affective disorder in the netherlands: a prospective and retrospective study of seasonal mood variation in the general population

Identifying Key Workplace Stressors Affecting Twentieth Air Force: Analyses Conducted from December 2012 Through February 2013

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