Searching for a relationship between the serotonin receptor 2A gene variations and the development of Inward and Outward Personal Meaning Organizations

The aim of this study was to explore whether the polymorphisms of the serotonin receptor 2A gene (HTR2A) affect the development of Inward or Outward Personal Meaning Organization (PMO). One hundred and forty-nine healthy unrelated Italians were assessed for PMO using a Post-Rationalist Clinical Interview and two questionnaires: Personal Meaning Questionnaire (Picardi, 2003) and a home-made Mini Questionnaire of Personal Organization. All participants gave their written informed consent to participate. The study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Azienda Universitaria-Ospedaliera Ospedali Riuniti, Ancona.Ten potentially phenotype-affecting single nucleotide polymorphisms at the HTR2A gene were selected by bioinformatics methods. Genomic DNA was extracted from buccal swabs and polymorphisms were genotyped by minisequencing assay.Our findings do not exclude the possibility that the PMOs have a genetic basis and call for further research into the role of genetic factors in their development.