SERT gene

• serotonin transporter gene
• the sert gene controls the level of serotonin present at the syanpse
• serotonin is an inhibitory neurotransmitter meaning that the post synaptic potentials that serotonin causes in the post synaptic neuron are inhibitory
• in order to avoid neurotransmitters floating around in the synaptic cleft forever, neurotransmitters are sucked back into the pre-synaptic membrane by re-uptake proteins
• the sert gene creates reuptake proteins that carry serotonin back into pre synaptic membrane
• the more protein the sert gene produces the more serotonin is taken back into pre synaptic terminal, the less serotonin is present in the synapse
• short allele produces less serotonin reuptake protein
• long allele produces more serotonin and reuptake protein
• when there is a less reuptake protein more serotonin is available in the synapse, less serotonin is taken up into the pre-synaptic terminal
• more serotonin present in the synapse means that neural activity becomes inhibited
• long allele produces more reuptake protein, less serotonin available and less inhibition of neural activity
• long allele of sert gene associated with developing ocd
• people with ocd have less serotonin in their synapse = less inhibition of neural activity
• decreases in serotonin in the synapse means that they have less inhibition of neural activity in orbitofrontal cortex where serotonin is released
• sert gene responsible for reducing amount of serotonin in synapse