Therapygenetics: Using genetic markers to predict response to psychological treatment for mood and anxiety disorders

Considerable variation is evident in response to psychological therapies for mood and anxiety disorders. Genetic factors alongside environmental variables and gene-environment interactions are implicated in the etiology of these disorders and it is plausible that these same factors may also be important in predicting individual differences in response to psychological treatment. In this article, we review the evidence that genetic variation influences psychological treatment outcomes with a primary focus on mood and anxiety disorders. Unlike most past work, which has considered prediction of response to pharmacotherapy, this article reviews recent work in the field of therapygenetics, namely the role of genes in predicting psychological treatment response. As this is a field in its infancy, methodological recommendations are made and opportunities for future research are identified.

• Publication year

  2013

• Venue

  Biology of Mood & Anxiety Disorders

• Publication date

  2013-02-07

• Fields of study

  Medicine, Psychology

• Identifiers
  DOI 10.1186/2045-5380-3-4PMID 23388219PMCID 3575379
• External record

  Open on Semantic Scholar

• Source metadata

  Semantic Scholar, PubMed

• No claims are published for this paper.

• No concepts are published for this paper.

• MAOA and mechanisms of panic disorder revisited: from bench to molecular psychotherapy

  2014influential reference
• Therapygenetics: the 5HTTLPR as a biomarker for response to psychological therapy?

  2013cited by this paper
• Cognitive behavioural therapy for anxiety disorders in children and adolescents.

  2013cited by this paper
• The effect of the serotonin transporter polymorphism (5-HTTLPR) on amygdala function: a meta-analysis

  2013cited by this paper
• Biomarkers predicting treatment outcome in depression: what is clinically significant?

  2012cited by this paper
• Association between the NMDA glutamate receptor GRIN2B gene and obsessive-compulsive disorder.

  2012cited by this paper
• Neurotrophic gene polymorphisms and response to psychological therapy

  2012influential reference
• Human fear reconsolidation and allelic differences in serotonergic and dopaminergic genes

  2012cited by this paper
• Predicting treatment response in social anxiety disorder from functional magnetic resonance imaging.

  2012cited by this paper
• Variation in the BDNF Val66Met polymorphism and response to cognitive-behavior therapy in obsessive-compulsive disorder

  2012cited by this paper
• Clinical and genetic outcome determinants of Internet‐ and group‐based cognitive behavior therapy for social anxiety disorder

  2012influential reference
• Therapygenetics: moving towards personalized psychotherapy treatment.

  2012cited by this paper
• Gene–Environment Interaction in Major Depression and Antidepressant Treatment Response

  2012influential reference
• Treatment sensitivity of implicit threat evaluation, avoidance tendency and visual working memory bias in specific phobia.

  2012cited by this paper
• Empirical support for an involvement of the mesostriatal dopamine system in human fear extinction

  2011cited by this paper
• Moderation of the association between childhood maltreatment and neuroticism by the corticotropin-releasing hormone receptor 1 gene.

  2011cited by this paper
• Interaction between serotonin transporter gene variants and life events predicts response to antidepressants in the GENDEP project

  2011cited by this paper
• Therapygenetics: The 5HTTLPR and response to psychological therapy

  2011influential reference
• Anxiety Disorders in Children and Adolescents: The genetic basis of child and adolescent??anxiety

  2011cited by this paper
• Dysfunctional attitudes and the serotonin transporter promoter polymorphism (5-HTTLPR).

  2011cited by this paper
• Attentional Bias in Anxiety Disorders Following Cognitive Behavioral Treatment

  2011cited by this paper
• A review on experimental and clinical genetic associations studies on fear conditioning, extinction and cognitive-behavioral treatment

  2011cited by this paper
• Pharmacogenetics of antidepressant response.

  2011cited by this paper
• The serotonin transporter promoter variant (5-HTTLPR), stress, and depression meta-analysis revisited: evidence of genetic moderation.

  2011cited by this paper
• The CREB1-BDNF-NTRK2 pathway in depression: multiple gene-cognition-environment interactions.

  2011cited by this paper
• Genes, environment, and individual differences in responding to treatment for depression.

  2011cited by this paper
• Variation in NGFB is associated with primary affective disorders in women

  2011cited by this paper
• Glucocorticoids enhance extinction-based psychotherapy

  2011cited by this paper
• Response to Psychosocial Treatment in Poststroke Depression Is Associated With Serotonin Transporter Polymorphisms

  2011influential reference
• Interaction of FKBP5 gene variants and adverse life events in predicting depression onset: results from a 10-year prospective community study.

  2011cited by this paper
• Serotonin Transporter Variation and Treatment Response in the Child/Adolescent Anxiety Multimodal Study (CAMS)

  2011cited by this paper
• Pharmacogenetics of antidepressant response

  2011cited by this paper
• イギリス 「高等教育の質保証機構」編 『歴史学にかんする分野別参照基準』 (2007年) について

  2011cited by this paper
• Preliminary evidence of the short allele of the serotonin transporter gene predicting poor response to cognitive behavior therapy in posttraumatic stress disorder.

  2010influential reference
• Genome-wide pharmacogenetics of antidepressant response in the GENDEP project.

  2010cited by this paper
• Review and meta-analysis of antidepressant pharmacogenetic findings in major depressive disorder

  2010cited by this paper
• Abstracts of the Sixty-Fifth Annual Scientific Convention and Meeting of the Society of Biological Psychiatry. May 20-22, 2010. New Orleans, Louisiana, USA.

  2010cited by this paper
• Association of GRIK4 with Treatment Response in the Child/Adolescent Anxiety Multimodal Study (CAMS)

  2010influential reference
• Variations in the serotonin-transporter gene are associated with attention bias patterns to positive and negative emotion faces.

  2010cited by this paper
• Genetic sensitivity to the environment: the case of the serotonin transporter gene and its implications for studying complex diseases and traits.

  2010cited by this paper
• Differential Effect of Corticosterone on Neurogenesis and Angiogenesis

  2010cited by this paper
• The risk of posttraumatic stress disorder after trauma depends on traumatic load and the catechol-o-methyltransferase Val(158)Met polymorphism.

  2010cited by this paper
• Common SNPs explain a large proportion of the heritability for human height

  2010cited by this paper
• The COMTval158met polymorphism is associated with symptom relief during exposure-based cognitive-behavioral treatment in panic disorder

  2010influential reference
• The genetics of mood disorders.

  2010cited by this paper
• Linking molecules to mood: new insight into the biology of depression.

  2010cited by this paper
• Effects of serotonin transporter and tryptophan hydroxylase-2 gene variation on the response to cognitive-bahavior therapy in patients with social anxiety disorder

  2010cited by this paper
• Genetic Sensitivity to the Environment: The Case of the Serotonin Transporter Gene and Its Implications for Studying Complex Diseases and Traits

  2010cited by this paper
• A genomewide association study of citalopram response in major depressive disorder.

  2010cited by this paper
• Antidepressant response and the serotonin transporter gene-linked polymorphic region.

  2010cited by this paper
• Polymorphisms in GRIK4, HTR2A, and FKBP5 Show Interactive Effects in Predicting Remission to Antidepressant Treatment

  2010cited by this paper
• No interactions between genetic polymorphisms and stressful life events on outcome of antidepressant treatment.

  2010cited by this paper
• A Tryptophan Hydroxylase 2 Gene Polymorphism is Associated with Panic Disorder

  2009cited by this paper
• Glucocorticoid receptor gene polymorphisms and childhood adversity are associated with depression: New evidence for a gene–environment interaction

  2009cited by this paper
• Developments in the self-report assessment of personality and psychopathology in adults.

  2009cited by this paper
• Vulnerability genes or plasticity genes?

  2009cited by this paper
• Monoamine oxidase A gene (MAOA) predicts behavioral aggression following provocation

  2009cited by this paper
• SLC6A4 variation and citalopram response

  2009cited by this paper
• A genomewide association study points to multiple loci that predict antidepressant drug treatment outcome in depression.

  2009cited by this paper
• When is Pharmacogenetic Testing for Antidepressant Response Ready for the Clinic? A Cost-effectiveness Analysis Based on Data from the STAR*D Study

  2009cited by this paper
• Genetic Gating of Human Fear Learning and Extinction

  2009cited by this paper
• Prevention effects moderate the association of 5-HTTLPR and youth risk behavior initiation: gene x environment hypotheses tested via a randomized prevention design.

  2009cited by this paper
• Glutamate receptor gene (GRIN2B) associated with reduced anterior cingulate glutamatergic concentration in pediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder.

  2009cited by this paper
• The NGF saga: from animal models of psychosocial stress to stress-related psychopathology.

  2009cited by this paper
• Improving access to psychological therapy: Initial evaluation of two UK demonstration sites

  2009cited by this paper
• Beyond diathesis stress: differential susceptibility to environmental influences.

  2009influential reference
• Interaction between the serotonin transporter gene (5-HTTLPR), stressful life events, and risk of depression: a meta-analysis.

  2009cited by this paper
• Adult Psychiatric Morbidity in England, 2007: Results of a Household Survey

  2009cited by this paper
• Association of FKBP5 polymorphisms and childhood abuse with risk of posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms in adults.

  2008cited by this paper
• Additive effects of serotonin transporter and tryptophan hydroxylase-2 gene variation on neural correlates of affective processing.

  2008cited by this paper
• The implications of gene–environment interactions in depression: will cause inform cure?

  2008cited by this paper
• Gender-dependent Association of a Functional NGF Polymorphism with Anxiety-related Personality Traits

  2008cited by this paper
• Serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor, depression, and antidepressant medications: meta-analyses and implications.

  2008cited by this paper
• Dissociable roles for the ventromedial prefrontal cortex and amygdala in fear extinction: NR2B contribution.

  2008cited by this paper
• Experimental evidence for differential susceptibility: dopamine D4 receptor polymorphism (DRD4 VNTR) moderates intervention effects on toddlers' externalizing behavior in a randomized controlled trial.

  2008cited by this paper
• Biological Sensitivity to Context

  2008cited by this paper
• Polymorphisms of the serotonin transporter gene (5-HTTLPR, A/G SNP in 5-HTTLPR, and STin2 VNTR) and their relation to personality traits in healthy individuals from Russia

  2008cited by this paper
• Neuroimaging studies of psychological interventions for mood and anxiety disorders: empirical and methodological review.

  2008cited by this paper
• Gene-by-Environment (Serotonin Transporter and Childhood Maltreatment) Interaction for Anxiety Sensitivity, an Intermediate Phenotype for Anxiety Disorders

  2008cited by this paper
• Improving access to psychological therapy: initial evaluation of the two demonstration sites

  2008cited by this paper
• Increase in prefrontal cortical volume following cognitive behavioural therapy in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.

  2008cited by this paper
• Imaging the placebo response: a neurofunctional review.

  2008cited by this paper
• A Link between Serotonin-Related Gene Polymorphisms, Amygdala Activity, and Placebo-Induced Relief from Social Anxiety

  2008cited by this paper
• Association of the brain-derived neurotrophic factor Val66Met polymorphism with reduced hippocampal volumes in major depression.

  2007cited by this paper
• Nature and Nurture Predispose to Violent Behavior: Serotonergic Genes and Adverse Childhood Environment

  2007cited by this paper
• Association of GRIK4 with outcome of antidepressant treatment in the STAR*D cohort.

  2007influential reference
• Stratified medicine: strategic and economic implications of combining drugs and clinical biomarkers

  2007cited by this paper
• Functional characterization of the human TPH2 5′ regulatory region: untranslated region and polymorphisms modulate gene expression in vitro

  2007cited by this paper
• Meta‐analysis of COMT val158met in panic disorder: Ethnic heterogeneity and gender specificity

  2007cited by this paper
• Meta-analysis of gene–environment interactions in developmental psychopathology

  2007cited by this paper
• Research Review: genetic vulnerability or differential susceptibility in child development: the case of attachment.

  2007cited by this paper
• An investigation of the neurotrophic factor genes GDNF, NGF, and NT3 in susceptibility to ADHD

  2007influential reference
• Interactions between life stressors and susceptibility genes (5-HTTLPR and BDNF) on depression in Korean elders.

  2007cited by this paper
• Interaction between SERTPR and stressful life events on response to antidepressant treatment.

  2007cited by this paper
• For Better and For Worse

  2007cited by this paper
• Meta-analysis of serotonin transporter gene promoter polymorphism (5-HTTLPR) association with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor efficacy in depressed patients

  2007influential reference
• Long story short: the serotonin transporter in emotion regulation and social cognition

  2007cited by this paper
• HTR2A gene variants and psychiatric disorders: a review of current literature and selection of SNPs for future studies.

  2007cited by this paper
• Catechol-o-methyltransferase, cognition, and psychosis: Val158Met and beyond.

  2006cited by this paper
• MAOA, maltreatment, and gene–environment interaction predicting children's mental health: new evidence and a meta-analysis

  2006cited by this paper

• Polygenic scores and symptom severity change after internet-delivered cognitive behaviour therapy for depression and anxiety

  2025cites this paper
• Association Between Polygenic Risk and Symptom Severity Change After Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Obsessive‐Compulsive Disorder

  2025cites this paper
• Transcriptomics and psychotherapy: An integrative review

  2024cites this paper
• Are There Biological Correlates of Response to Yoga-Based Interventions in Depression? A Critical Scoping Review

  2024cites this paper
• The therapygenetics of anxiety disorders

  2023cites this paper
• Personalized Treatments

  2023cites this paper
• Psychotherapies and digital interventions for OCD in adults: What do we know, what do we need still to explore?

  2022cites this paper
• A bioinformatic study revealed serotonergic neurons are involved in the etiology and therapygenetics of anxiety disorders

  2021cites this paper
• Considerations for Pairing Cognitive Behavioral Therapies and Non-invasive Brain Stimulation: Ignore at Your Own Risk

  2021cites this paper
• Genetic Predictors of Response to Acupuncture or Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia in Cancer Survivors: An Exploratory Analysis.

  2021cites this paper
• Genetic contributions to anxiety disorders: where we are and where we are heading

  2021cites this paper
• PGPM_A_313015 757..766

  2021cites this paper
• Effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Positive Clinical Outcome in Panic Disorder: a 5-year Longitudinal Study

  2021cites this paper
• Technological Interventions for Eating and Weight Disorders

  2021cites this paper
• S0033291721001744jra 2247..2259

  2021cites this paper
• Integrative DNA Methylation and Gene Expression Analysis of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Response in Children and Adolescents with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder; a Pilot Study

  2021cites this paper
• Genetics of obsessive-compulsive disorder

  2021cites this paper
• Current Views on the Genetic Markers of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

  2021cites this paper
• An Update on Precision Medicine Advances In Neurodevelopmental Disorders.

  2021cites this paper
• Genes in treatment: Polygenic risk scores for different psychopathologies, neuroticism, educational attainment and IQ and the outcome of two different exposure-based fear treatments

  2021cites this paper
• Genetik und Epigenetik in der Psychotherapie von Depression und Angststörungen

  2020cites this paper
• Redefining Phenotypes to Advance Psychiatric Genetics: Implications

  2020cites this paper
• Polygenic Risk for Major Depression Interacts with Parental Criticism in Predicting Adolescent Depressive Symptom Development

  2020cites this paper
• Familial aggregation of anxiety disorder subtypes and anxious temperament in the NIMH Family Study of Affective Spectrum Disorders.

  2020cites this paper
• The Black Dog : Causes and Cures for Depression Transcript

  2020cites this paper
• Theranostic markers for personalized therapy of spider phobia: Methods of a bicentric external cross‐validation machine learning approach

  2019cites this paper
• Cannabidiol enhancement of exposure therapy in treatment refractory patients with phobias: study protocol of a randomized controlled trial

  2019cites this paper
• A genome wide association meta analysis of prognostic outcomes following cognitive behavioural therapy in individuals with anxiety and depressive disorders

  2019cites this paper
• The influence of common polygenic risk and gene sets on social skills group training response in autism spectrum disorder

  2019cites this paper
• Antidepressant pharmacogenetics in children and young adults: A systematic review.

  2019cites this paper
• Redefining phenotypes to advance psychiatric genetics: Implications from hierarchical taxonomy of psychopathology.

  2019cites this paper
• A genome-wide association meta-analysis of prognostic outcomes following cognitive behavioural therapy in individuals with anxiety and depressive disorders

  2019cites this paper
• Genetics of response to cognitive behavior therapy in adults with major depression: a preliminary report

  2018cites this paper
• The role of positive psychology in the treatment of overweight and obesity, and its effects on molecular genetic pathways involved

  2018cites this paper
• The Return of Fear: Variation of the Serotonin Transporter Gene Predicts Outcome of a Highly Standardized Exposure-Based One-Session Fear Treatment

  2018cites this paper
• Biological alterations affecting risk of adult psychopathology following childhood trauma: A review of sex differences.

  2018cites this paper
• Childhood trauma and emotion regulation: The moderator role of BDNF Val66Met.

  2018cites this paper
• Overcoming insomnia: protocol for a large-scale randomised controlled trial of online cognitive behaviour therapy for insomnia compared with online patient education about sleep

  2018cites this paper
• Response rate profiles for major depressive disorder: Characterizing early response and longitudinal nonresponse

  2018cites this paper
• DNA methylation of FKBP5 and response to exposure‐based psychological therapy

  2018cites this paper
• 5-HTTLPR and MTHFR 677C>T polymorphisms and response to yoga-based lifestyle intervention in major depressive disorder: A randomized active-controlled trial

  2018cites this paper
• Genetics in Experimental Psychopathology: From Laboratory Models to Therapygenetics. Where do we go from Here?

  2017cites this paper
• Genome-wide expression and response to exposure-based psychological therapy for anxiety disorders

  2017cites this paper
• Separate and combined effects of genetic variants and pre-treatment whole blood gene expression on response to exposure-based cognitive behavioural therapy for anxiety disorders

  2017cites this paper
• [Editorial] Genetically-informed approaches to the study of psychopathology

  2017cites this paper
• BDNF Val66Met polymorphism moderates the link between child maltreatment and reappraisal ability

  2017cites this paper
• Editorial: Special Issue Behavioural Genetics

  2017cites this paper
• Genetics, Behavioral Intervention, and Human Development

  2017cites this paper
• Aetiological Influences on Stability and Change in Emotional and Behavioural Problems across Development: A Systematic Review

  2017cites this paper
• The impact of genes by childhood adversity interaction on the clinical and social outcomes of psychosis

  2016cites this paper
• Genome-wide association study of response to cognitive–behavioural therapy in children with anxiety disorders

  2016cites this paper
• Genetic variation in the endocannabinoid system and response to Cognitive Behavior Therapy for child anxiety disorders

  2016cites this paper
• Growth factors as clinical biomarkers of prognosis and diagnosis in psychiatric disorders.

  2016cites this paper
• Differential sensitivity to the environment: contribution of cognitive biases and genes to psychological wellbeing

  2016cites this paper
• Stress reactivity predicts symptom improvement in children with anxiety disorders.

  2016cites this paper
• Adverse Prenatal, Perinatal and Neonatal Experiences in Children with Anxiety Disorders

  2016cites this paper
• Predicting Response Trajectories during Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy for Panic Disorder: No Association with the BDNF Gene or Childhood Maltreatment

  2016cites this paper
• Differential Effect of Unilateral Amygdalar GABAA Receptor Agonist Injection on Low- and High-Anxiety Rats

  2016cites this paper
• Non-replication of the association between 5HTTLPR and response to psychological therapy for child anxiety disorders

  2016cites this paper
• Behavior of High- and Low-Anxiety Rats on the Background of Modulation of GABAergic Transmission in the Basolateral Nucleus of the Amygdala

  2016cites this paper
• Genetic aetiology of anxiety disorders

  2016influential citation
• A comparative randomized controlled pragmatic trial of neurofeedback and working memory training for children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: protocol

  2016cites this paper
• The Added Value of CBT in the Genetic Counseling Process: Concept Development, State of the Art and New Directions

  2016cites this paper
• Adjudicating Adjudication and the Problem of Epistemic Caution

  2016cites this paper
• Why do depression and anxiety symptoms co-occur across development? : the role of genes, environments and cognition

  2016cites this paper
• The Added Value of CBT in the Genetic Counseling Process: Concept Development, State of the Art and New Directions

  2016influential citation
• BDNFval66met affects neural activation pattern during fear conditioning and 24 h delayed fear recall.

  2015cites this paper
• Personalized assessment and treatment of depression

  2015cites this paper
• The stability and change of etiological influences on depression, anxiety symptoms and their co-occurrence across adolescence and young adulthood

  2015cites this paper
• Genetic Correlates of Maladaptive Beliefs: COMT VAL(158)MET and Irrational Cognitions Linked Depending on Distress.

  2015cites this paper
• Interaction of the 5-HTTLPR and childhood trauma influences memory bias in healthy individuals.

  2015cites this paper
• Influence of Genetic Variants of the N-Methyl-D-Aspartate Receptor on Emotion and Social Behavior in Adolescents

  2015cites this paper
• HPA AXIS RELATED GENES AND RESPONSE TO PSYCHOLOGICAL THERAPIES: GENETICS AND EPIGENETICS

  2015cites this paper
• Emotion, emotion regulation and emotional disorders: conceptual issues for clinicians and neuroscientists

  2015cites this paper
• gammaMAXT: a fast multiple-testing correction algorithm

  2015cites this paper
• Shame and Guilt-Proneness in Adolescents: Gene-Environment Interactions

  2015cites this paper
• Adverse Prenatal, Perinatal and Neonatal Experiences in Children with Anxiety Disorders

  2015cites this paper
• Title An integrative review of attention biases and their contributionto treatment for anxiety disorders

  2015influential citation
• An integrative review of attention biases and their contribution to treatment for anxiety disorders

  2015influential citation
• Serotonin tranporter methylation and response to cognitive behaviour therapy in children with anxiety disorders

  2014cites this paper
• Factlessness & Faultlessness: Individual Differences & Dimensions of Philosophical Dispute

  2014cites this paper
• The functional −1019C/G HTR1A polymorphism and mechanisms of fear

  2014cites this paper
• Therapygenetics in mindfulness-based cognitive therapy: do genes have an impact on therapy-induced change in real-life positive affective experiences?

  2014cites this paper
• THE FUTURE OF THERAPYGENETICS: WHERE WILL STUDIES PREDICTING PSYCHOLOGICAL TREATMENT RESPONSE FROM GENOMIC MARKERS LEAD?

  2014cites this paper
• Towards personalized treatment of depression: a candidate gene approach.

  2014cites this paper
• ‘As above, so below’ examining the interplay between emotion and the immune system

  2014cites this paper
• Serotonin tranporter methylation and response to cognitive behaviour therapy in children with anxiety disorders

  2014cites this paper
• Biased information processing as an endophenotype for depression.

  2014cites this paper
• The phenotypic and genetic structure of depression and anxiety disorder symptoms in childhood, adolescence, and young adulthood.

  2014cites this paper
• PSYCHIATRIC GENETICS AND THE FUTURE OF PERSONALIZED TREATMENT

  2014cites this paper
• Attention biases and habituation of attention biases are associated with 5-HTTLPR and COMTval158met

  2014cites this paper
• Anxiety disorders: genetic mechanisms

  2013cites this paper
• Discussion of “The Psychodynamic Psychotherapist's Guide to the Interaction among Sex, Genes, and Environmental Adversity in the Etiology of Depression for Women,” by Simone N. Vigod and Valerie H. Taylor

  2013cites this paper
• Predicting outcomes following cognitive behaviour therapy in child anxiety disorders: the influence of genetic, demographic and clinical information.

  2013cites this paper
• Attention biases and habituation of attention biases are associated with 5-HTTLPR and COMTval158met

  2013cites this paper
• Treatment of eating disorders can not remain 'brainless': the case for brain-directed treatments.

  2013cites this paper
• Psychology Research and Behavior Management Dovepress the Role of the Monoamine Oxidase a Gene in Moderating the Response to Adversity and Associated Antisocial Behavior: a Review

  year unknowncites this paper