This gene encodes one of the receptors for serotonin, a neurotransmitter with many roles. Mutations in this gene are associated with susceptibility to schizophrenia and obsessive-compulsive disorder, and are also associated with response to the antidepressant citalopram in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). MDD patients who also have a mutation in intron 2 of this gene show a significantly reduced response to citalopram as this antidepressant downregulates expression of this gene. Multiple transcript variants encoding different isoforms have been found for this gene.