Abstract
Epigenetic status, such as DNA methylation and histone modifications, reflect gene‐environment interactions and are considered to be important for understanding the etiology and pathophysiology of psychiatric disorders. Because the serotonin transporter is subject to transcriptional regulation by polymorphic regions of repeated sequences and DNA methylation, it is considered to be a good model for gene‐environment interaction studies. Here, we summarized our epigenetic research on the serotonin transporter, in which we examined the decline in cognitive function and depressive tendencies associated with normal aging using a cohort of elderly individuals. In addition to the background of the research, we described the current results as well as issues and future prospects.
