In NOT A CHIMP I detail research that looked at the tie-up between anxious personality traits and the carriage of a short repeat variant of the gene for the serotonin transporter molecule at the synapse. Here a group of scientists, principally at the University of Essex, carry the research forward in a very gratifying way. They find that carriers of the short repeat have a negative cognitive bias which can be trained by cognitive therapy to be more positive. So they tend to take more notice of negative or threatening information, and, conversely, blossom when they are subject to very supportive social experiences.
"Professor Elaine Fox, who led the study, explained: "Our findings suggest that people with a short serotonin transporter gene are likely to be far more reactive to both very negative situations, such as a car crash, and very positive ones, such as a very supportive relationship. This supports the idea of short serotonin transporter genes as 'adaptability', rather than 'vulnerability', genes. They may not only increase the risk of an individual developing emotional vulnerability in a negative environment but also increase the chances of them benefiting from a supportive environment, compared to people with the long form...People with a long serotonin transporter gene are likely to be less influenced by their emotional environment, which may help to protect them from negative events but could also mean that they are less able to benefit from a positive environment."
Their studies support work from Oxford which suggests that "drugs used to treat anxiety and depression by lowering serotonin levels at the gap between nerve cells (such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) might work by reducing a patient's negative attention bias, causing them to adopt a more positive outlook on life that leads to a decrease in anxiety and depression."
""This opens the door to the idea of personalized treatments for anxiety disorders. Information about the genotype and cognitive biases of a patient could be used to inform decisions about which treatments, such as ABM and cognitive behavioural therapy, are likely to be most effective," Professor Fox said."