President and Founder Applied
Pharmacogenomics, LLC Bethesda, MD, USA.
My company helps consumers and clinicians choose the best drugs for treatment of illnesses such as depression, matching the genetic background of the individual to predicted drug response and risk of adverse effects. We also provide genotyping services for research investigators.
We genotype for genetic variants of three genes associated with serotonin processing. A more complete understanding of serotonergic function will facilitate the development of better diagnostic, therapeutic and preventive strategies for illnesses such as alcohol misuse, anxiety disorders, anorexia, and depression.
Why all this fuss about serotonin? Serotonin appeared as one of the first light-sensitive signaling compounds early in evolution. Its oxidative metabolites are key plant growth regulators, and it influences both neurologic function and embryologic development from Cnidaria to Chordata, jellyfish to primates. Recent work also implicates genes associated with serotonergic function as interacting with early environment to determine adult brain function, making the loops linking genotype, environment and phenotype bidirectional.
Here is a poll performed in Google looking at various neurotransmitters and the number of "hits."