Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1563, USA.
Psychosom Med. 2010 Feb;72(2):107-12. doi: 10.1097/PSY.0b013e3181ce6a7d.
The influence of social relationships on health has been well documented for many years, yet identifying the physiological mechanisms responsible for these effects has proved more challenging. This review assesses the potential role of the serotonin system in affecting sensitivity to the health-related effects of the social environment. Building on recent studies of genetic variation in the serotonin system, particularly focusing on a polymorphism (5-HTTLPR) in the serotonin transporter gene, we provide evidence that activity within the serotonin system is critically involved in setting sensitivity to social experiences. Furthermore, we highlight the effects of the 5-HTTLPR on sensitivity to both positive and negative social experiences. In a positive environment, individuals with the short allele, and particularly the short/short genotype, function better psychologically than those with the long/long genotype. Conversely, when exposed to adverse environments or in the absence of social support, individuals with the short allele are at high risk for a variety of negative health outcomes. This serotoninergic involvement in social sensitivity seems to occur in concert with other neurochemical systems, such as the opioid system, which will also be discussed. Although this differential sensitivity to social experiences is initially determined in the brain, it has physiological effects on downstream pathways that more directly affect disease mechanisms, such as the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, which is a particular focus of this review. The serotonin system, as indexed by the 5-HTTLPR, is an important link between the social environment and health.
多年来，社会关系对健康的影响已得到充分证实，但要确定导致这些影响的生理机制却更加具有挑战性。这篇综述评估了血清素系统在影响对社会环境与健康相关影响的敏感性方面的潜在作用。基于血清素系统遗传变异的最新研究，特别是集中在血清素转运体基因中的一个多态性（5-HTTLPR），我们提供了证据表明，血清素系统的活性在设定对社会体验的敏感性方面起着至关重要的作用。此外，我们还强调了 5-HTTLPR 对积极和消极社会体验的敏感性的影响。在积极的环境中，短等位基因的个体，特别是短/短基因型的个体，在心理上比长/长基因型的个体表现得更好。相反，当暴露于不利环境或缺乏社会支持时，短等位基因的个体患各种负面健康结果的风险很高。这种血清素能参与社会敏感性似乎与其他神经化学系统（如阿片系统）协同作用，我们也将讨论这一系统。尽管这种对社会体验的差异敏感性最初是在大脑中确定的，但它对更直接影响疾病机制的下游途径（如下丘脑-垂体-肾上腺轴）具有生理影响，这是本综述的一个特别关注焦点。5-HTTLPR 作为血清素系统的指标，是社会环境与健康之间的重要联系。
