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Di Lascio S, Fornasari D, Benfante R. The Human-Restricted Isoform of the α7 nAChR, CHRFAM7A: A Double-Edged Sword in Neurological and Inflammatory Disorders. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23073463. [PMID: 35408823 PMCID: PMC8998457 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23073463] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2022] [Revised: 03/13/2022] [Accepted: 03/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
CHRFAM7A is a relatively recent and exclusively human gene arising from the partial duplication of exons 5 to 10 of the α7 neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptor subunit (α7 nAChR) encoding gene, CHRNA7. CHRNA7 is related to several disorders that involve cognitive deficits, including neuropsychiatric, neurodegenerative, and inflammatory disorders. In extra-neuronal tissues, α7nAChR plays an important role in proliferation, differentiation, migration, adhesion, cell contact, apoptosis, angiogenesis, and tumor progression, as well as in the modulation of the inflammatory response through the “cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway”. CHRFAM7A translates the dupα7 protein in a multitude of cell lines and heterologous systems, while maintaining processing and trafficking that are very similar to the full-length form. It does not form functional ion channel receptors alone. In the presence of CHRNA7 gene products, dupα7 can assemble and form heteromeric receptors that, in order to be functional, should include at least two α7 subunits to form the agonist binding site. When incorporated into the receptor, in vitro and in vivo data showed that dupα7 negatively modulated α7 activity, probably due to a reduction in the number of ACh binding sites. Very recent data in the literature report that the presence of the duplicated gene may be responsible for the translational gap in several human diseases. Here, we will review the studies that have been conducted on CHRFAM7A in different pathologies, with the intent of providing evidence regarding when and how the expression of this duplicated gene may be beneficial or detrimental in the pathogenesis, and eventually in the therapeutic response, to CHRNA7-related neurological and non-neurological diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simona Di Lascio
- Department of Medical Biotechnology and Translational Medicine (BIOMETRA), Università degli Studi di Milano, 20129 Milan, Italy; (S.D.L.); (D.F.)
| | - Diego Fornasari
- Department of Medical Biotechnology and Translational Medicine (BIOMETRA), Università degli Studi di Milano, 20129 Milan, Italy; (S.D.L.); (D.F.)
- CNR Institute of Neuroscience, 20845 Vedano al Lambro, Italy
| | - Roberta Benfante
- Department of Medical Biotechnology and Translational Medicine (BIOMETRA), Università degli Studi di Milano, 20129 Milan, Italy; (S.D.L.); (D.F.)
- CNR Institute of Neuroscience, 20845 Vedano al Lambro, Italy
- NeuroMi, Milan Center for Neuroscience, University of Milano Bicocca, 20126 Milan, Italy
- Correspondence:
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Sinkus ML, Graw S, Freedman R, Ross RG, Lester HA, Leonard S. The human CHRNA7 and CHRFAM7A genes: A review of the genetics, regulation, and function. Neuropharmacology 2015; 96:274-88. [PMID: 25701707 PMCID: PMC4486515 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2015.02.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 125] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2014] [Revised: 02/04/2015] [Accepted: 02/06/2015] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
The human α7 neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptor gene (CHRNA7) is ubiquitously expressed in both the central nervous system and in the periphery. CHRNA7 is genetically linked to multiple disorders with cognitive deficits, including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, ADHD, epilepsy, Alzheimer's disease, and Rett syndrome. The regulation of CHRNA7 is complex; more than a dozen mechanisms are known, one of which is a partial duplication of the parent gene. Exons 5-10 of CHRNA7 on chromosome 15 were duplicated and inserted 1.6 Mb upstream of CHRNA7, interrupting an earlier partial duplication of two other genes. The chimeric CHRFAM7A gene product, dupα7, assembles with α7 subunits, resulting in a dominant negative regulation of function. The duplication is human specific, occurring neither in primates nor in rodents. The duplicated α7 sequence in exons 5-10 of CHRFAM7A is almost identical to CHRNA7, and thus is not completely queried in high throughput genetic studies (GWAS). Further, pre-clinical animal models of the α7nAChR utilized in drug development research do not have CHRFAM7A (dupα7) and cannot fully model human drug responses. The wide expression of CHRNA7, its multiple functions and modes of regulation present challenges for study of this gene in disease. This article is part of the Special Issue entitled 'The Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor: From Molecular Biology to Cognition'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melissa L Sinkus
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Colorado Denver, Aurora, CO 80045, USA.
| | - Sharon Graw
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Colorado Denver, Aurora, CO 80045, USA.
| | - Robert Freedman
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Colorado Denver, Aurora, CO 80045, USA; Veterans Affairs Medical Research Center, Denver, CO 80262, USA.
| | - Randal G Ross
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Colorado Denver, Aurora, CO 80045, USA.
| | - Henry A Lester
- Division of Biology, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA.
| | - Sherry Leonard
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Colorado Denver, Aurora, CO 80045, USA; Veterans Affairs Medical Research Center, Denver, CO 80262, USA.
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Hashimoto K. Targeting of α7 Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors in the Treatment of Schizophrenia and the Use of Auditory Sensory Gating as a Translational Biomarker. Curr Pharm Des 2015; 21:3797-806. [PMID: 26044974 PMCID: PMC5024727 DOI: 10.2174/1381612821666150605111345] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2015] [Accepted: 06/04/2015] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Accumulating evidence suggests that the α7 subtype of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) plays a key role in inflammatory processes, thought to be involved in the pathophysiology of neuropsychiatric diseases, such as schizophrenia and Alzheimer's disease. Preclinical and clinical studies showed that the diminished suppression of P50 auditory evoked potentials in patients with schizophrenia may be associated with a decreased density of α7 nAChRs in the brain. This points to a role for auditory sensory gating (P50) as a translational biomarker. A number of agonists and positive allosteric modulators (PAMs) for α7 nAChR promoted beneficial effects in animal models with sensory gating and cognitive deficits. Additionally, several clinical studies showed that α7 nAChR agonists could improve suppression in auditory P50 evoked potentials, as well as cognitive deficits, and negative symptoms in patients with schizophrenia. Taken together, α7 nAChR presents as an extremely attractive therapeutic target for schizophrenia. In this article, the author discusses recent findings on α7 nAChR agonists such as DMXB-A, RG3487, TC-5619, tropisetron, EVP-6124 (encenicline), ABT-126, AQW051 and α7 nAChR PAMs such as JNJ-39393406, PNU- 120596 and AVL-3288 (also known as UCI-4083), and their potential as therapeutic drugs for neuropsychiatric diseases, such as schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenji Hashimoto
- Division of Clinical Neuroscience, Chiba University Center for Forensic, Mental Health, 1-8-1 Inohana, Chiba 260-8670, Japan.
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Guillozet-Bongaarts AL, Hyde TM, Dalley RA, Hawrylycz MJ, Henry A, Hof PR, Hohmann J, Jones AR, Kuan CL, Royall J, Shen E, Swanson B, Zeng H, Kleinman JE. Altered gene expression in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex of individuals with schizophrenia. Mol Psychiatry 2014; 19:478-85. [PMID: 23528911 PMCID: PMC3965839 DOI: 10.1038/mp.2013.30] [Citation(s) in RCA: 81] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2012] [Revised: 01/24/2013] [Accepted: 02/06/2013] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
The underlying pathology of schizophrenia (SZ) is likely as heterogeneous as its symptomatology. A variety of cortical and subcortical regions, including the prefrontal cortex, have been implicated in its pathology, and a number of genes have been identified as risk factors for disease development. We used in situ hybridization (ISH) to examine the expression of 58 genes in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC, comprised of Brodmann areas 9 and 46) from 19 individuals with a premorbid diagnosis of SZ and 33 control individuals. Genes were selected based on: (1) previous identification as risk factors for SZ; (2) cell type markers or (3) laminar markers. Cell density and staining intensity were compared in the DLPFC, as well as separately in Brodmann areas 9 and 46. The expression patterns of a variety of genes, many of which are associated with the GABAergic system, were altered in SZ when compared with controls. Additional genes, including C8orf79 and NR4A2, showed alterations in cell density or staining intensity between the groups, highlighting the need for additional studies. Alterations were, with only a few exceptions, limited to Brodmann area 9, suggesting regional specificity of pathology in the DLPFC. Our results agree with previous studies on the GABAergic involvement in SZ, and suggest that areas 9 and 46 may be differentially affected in the disease. This study also highlights additional genes that may be altered in SZ, and indicates that these potentially interesting genes can be identified by ISH and high-throughput image analysis techniques.
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Affiliation(s)
- A L Guillozet-Bongaarts
- Allen Institute for Brain Science, Seattle, WA, USA,Data Annotations and Analysis, Allen Institute for Brain Science, 551North 34th Street, Seattle, WA 98103, USA. E-mail:
| | - T M Hyde
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Johns Hopkins Medical Campus, Baltimore, MD, USA,Clinical Brain Disorders Branch, Genes Cognition and Psychosis Program, Intramural Research Program, NIMH, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA,Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, and Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - R A Dalley
- Allen Institute for Brain Science, Seattle, WA, USA
| | | | - A Henry
- Allen Institute for Brain Science, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - P R Hof
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine, Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - J Hohmann
- Allen Institute for Brain Science, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - A R Jones
- Allen Institute for Brain Science, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - C L Kuan
- Allen Institute for Brain Science, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - J Royall
- Allen Institute for Brain Science, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - E Shen
- Allen Institute for Brain Science, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - B Swanson
- Allen Institute for Brain Science, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - H Zeng
- Allen Institute for Brain Science, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - J E Kleinman
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Johns Hopkins Medical Campus, Baltimore, MD, USA,Clinical Brain Disorders Branch, Genes Cognition and Psychosis Program, Intramural Research Program, NIMH, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA
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Young JW, Geyer MA. Evaluating the role of the alpha-7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor in the pathophysiology and treatment of schizophrenia. Biochem Pharmacol 2013; 86:1122-32. [PMID: 23856289 DOI: 10.1016/j.bcp.2013.06.031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 100] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2013] [Revised: 06/27/2013] [Accepted: 06/28/2013] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
The group of schizophrenia disorders affects approximately 1% of the population and has both genetic and environmental etiologies. Sufferers report various behavioral abnormalities including hallucinations and delusions (positive symptoms), reduced joy and amotivation (negative symptoms), plus inattention and poor learning (cognitive deficits). Despite the heterogeneous symptoms experienced, most patients smoke. The self-medication hypothesis posits that patients smoke to alleviate symptoms, consistent with evidence for nicotine-induced enhancement of cognition. While nicotine acts on multiple nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs), the primary target of research is often the homomeric α7 nAChR. Given genetic linkages between schizophrenia and this receptor, its association with P50 sensory gating deficits, and its reduced expression in post-mortem brains, many have attempted to develop α7 nAChR ligands for treating schizophrenia. Recent evidence that ligands can be orthosteric agonists or positive allosteric modulators (PAMs) has revitalized the hope for treatment discovery. Herein, we present evidence regarding: (1) pathophysiological alterations of α7 nAChRs that might occur in patients; (2) mechanistic evidence for the normal action of α7 nAChRs; (3) preclinical studies using α7 nAChR orthosteric agonists and type I/II PAMs; and (4) where successful translational testing has occurred for particular compounds, detailing what is still required. We report that the accumulating evidence is positive, but that greater work is required using positron emission tomography to understand current alterations in α7 nAChR expression and their relationship to symptoms. Finally, cross-species behavioral tasks should be used more regularly to determine the predictive efficacy of treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jared W Young
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093-0804, United States; Research Service, San Diego Veteran's Affairs Hospital, 3350 La Jolla Drive, San Diego, CA 92037, United States.
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Abstract
Genetic epidemiology has provided consistent evidence that schizophrenia has a genetic component It is now clear that this genetic component is complex and polygenic, with several genes interacting in epistasis. Although molecular studies have failed to identify any DNA variant that clearly contributes to vulnerability to schizophrenia, several regions have been implicated by linkage studies. To overcome the difficulties in the search for schizophrenia genes, it is necessary (i) to use methods of analysis that are appropriate for complex multifactorial disorders; (ii) to gather large enough clinical samples; and (iii) in the absence of genetic validity of the diagnostic classification currently used, to apply new strategies in order to better define the affected phenotypes. For this purpose, we describe here two strategies: (i) the candidate symptom approach, which concerns affected subjects and uses proband characteristics as the affected phenotype, such as age at onset, severity, and negative/positive symptoms; and (ii) the endophenotypic approach, which concerns unaffected relatives and has already provided positive findings with phenotypes, such as P50 inhibitory gating or eye-movement dysfunctions.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Leboyer
- Service de psychiatrie adulte, CHU Albert Chenevier et Henri Mondor, Université Paris XII, Créteil, France
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Association between the 2-bp deletion polymorphism in the duplicated version of the alpha7 nicotinic receptor gene and P50 sensory gating. Eur J Hum Genet 2012; 21:76-81. [PMID: 22588665 DOI: 10.1038/ejhg.2012.81] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
There is considerable evidence implicating the 15q13.3 region in neuropsychiatric disorders, with the α7 nicotinic receptor gene CHRNA7 the most plausible candidate. This region has multiple duplications and many copy number variants (CNVs). A common CNV involves a partial duplication of CHRNA7 (CHRFAM7A), which occurs in either orientation. We examined the distribution of these alternative genomic arrangements in a large cohort of psychiatric patients, their relatives and controls using the 2-bp deletion polymorphism as a marker for the orientation of CHRFAM7A. We investigated three common alleles for association with psychosis and with the P50 sensory gating deficit, which is strongly associated with psychosis and strongly linked to 15q13.3. We found significant within-family association with P50 (empirical P=0.004), which is robust to population stratification. Most of the effect came from the 2-bp deletion allele, which tags the variant of CHRFAM7A in the same orientation as CHRNA7. This allele is associated with the presence of the P50 sensory gating deficit (empirical P=0.0006). Tests comparing within-family and between-family components of association suggest considerable population stratification in the sample. We found no evidence for association with psychosis, but this may reflect lower power using this phenotype. Four out of six previous association studies found association of different psychiatric phenotypes with the same 2-bp deletion allele.
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Olincy A, Freedman R. Nicotinic mechanisms in the treatment of psychotic disorders: a focus on the α7 nicotinic receptor. Handb Exp Pharmacol 2012:211-32. [PMID: 23027417 PMCID: PMC3692393 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-642-25758-2_8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Nicotine is heavily abused by persons with schizophrenia. Nicotine better enables people with schizophrenia to filter out extraneous auditory stimuli. Nicotine also improves prepulse inhibition when compared to placebo. Nicotine similarly increases the amplitude of patients' duration mismatch negativity. The 15q13-14 region of the genome coding for the α7 nicotinic receptor is linked to schizophrenia. Multiple single nucleotide polymorphisms have been identified in this 15q13-14 gene promoter region that are more frequently present in people with schizophrenia than in normal controls. Abnormalities in expression and regulation of central nicotinic cholinoceptors with decreased α7 binding in multiple brain regions are also present. Nicotine enhances cognition in schizophrenia. Alternative agents that activate the nicotinic receptor have been tested including 3-[2,4-dimethoxybenzylidene]anabaseine (DMXB-A). This compound improved attention, working memory, and negative symptoms in an add-on study in nonsmoking patients with schizophrenia. There are multiple other nicotinic agents, including positive allosteric modulators, in the preclinical stages of development. Finally, the effects of varenicline and clozapine and their relation to smoking cessation are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ann Olincy
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Colorado, Denver, 13001 East 17th Place, Mail Stop, F546, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
| | - Robert Freedman
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Colorado, Denver, 13001 East 17th Place, Mail Stop, F546, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
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Wallace TL, Porter RHP. Targeting the nicotinic alpha7 acetylcholine receptor to enhance cognition in disease. Biochem Pharmacol 2011; 82:891-903. [PMID: 21741954 DOI: 10.1016/j.bcp.2011.06.034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 166] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2011] [Revised: 06/18/2011] [Accepted: 06/24/2011] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
A promising drug target currently under investigation to improve cognitive deficits in neuropsychiatric and neurological disorders is the neuronal nicotinic alpha7 acetylcholine receptor (α7nAChR). Improving cognitive impairments in diseases such as Alzheimer's (AD) and schizophrenia remains a large unmet medical need, and the α7nAChR has many properties that make it an attractive therapeutic target. The α7nAChR is a ligand gated ion channel that has particularly high permeability to Ca(2+) and is expressed in key brain regions involved in cognitive processes (e.g., hippocampus). The α7nAChRs are localized both pre-synaptically, where they can regulate neurotransmitter release, and post-synaptically where they can activate intracellular signaling cascades and influence downstream processes involved in learning and memory. In particular, activation of the α7nAChR with small molecule agonists enhances long-term potentiation, an in vitro model of synaptic plasticity, and improves performance across multiple cognitive domains in rodents, monkeys, and humans. Positive allosteric modulation of the α7nAChR offers an alternate approach to direct agonism that could prove to be particularly beneficial in certain disease populations where smoking nicotine is prevalent (e.g., schizophrenia) and could interfere with an orthosteric agonist approach. The current review focuses on the neurobiology of the α7nAChR, its role in cognition and the development status of some of the most promising molecules advancing for the treatment of cognitive dysfunction in disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tanya L Wallace
- Center for Neuroscience, SRI International, 333 Ravenswood Avenue, M/S 100-69, Menlo Park, CA 94025, USA.
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Evidence for association of the non-duplicated region of CHRNA7 gene with bipolar disorder but not with Schizophrenia. Psychiatr Genet 2011; 20:289-97. [PMID: 20463630 DOI: 10.1097/ypg.0b013e32833a9b7a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Biological evidence in both human and animal studies suggests α7 neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptor subunit gene (CHRNA7) as a suitable functional candidate for genetic studies in psychiatric populations. This gene maps to chromosome 15q13-14, a major linkage hotspot for schizophrenia (SCH) and bipolar disorder (BD). In this study we examine the role of CHRNA7 in influencing the risk of SCH and BD. METHODS In the present investigation four SNPs of the non-duplicated region of CHRNA7 were genotyped: -86C/T variant, located in the 5'-upstream regulatory region; and three intronic polymorphisms (rs883473, rs6494223 and rs904952). Genetic analysis was performed on 510 patients diagnosed with SCH, 245 with BD and on 793 unrelated healthy controls. RESULTS SNP analysis suggested a significant difference in -86C/T allele (P=0.025) and genotype (P=0.03) frequencies between BD and control groups, although significance was lost after correction for multiple testing. Besides, the nucleotide change (T) in rs6494223 had a protective effect against BD [odds ratio (OR)=0.70 (0.57-0.87); P=0.001]. Genotype frequencies also showed significant association (P=0.001) [CT genotype OR=0.71 (0.5-0.96); TT genotype OR=0.47 (0.29-0.77)]. Haplotypic analysis revealed a positive association of the gene with BD (global-stat=24.18, P value=0.007) with a maximum effect in the region that covered introns 3 and 4. In contrast, no evidence of risk variants was found in the analysis of the SCH sample. CONCLUSION Our data support the non-duplicated region of CHRNA7 gene as a susceptibility region for BD but not for SCH. Further genotyping of this region may help to delimit the causal polymorphism.
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van Bon BWM, Mefford HC, Menten B, Koolen DA, Sharp AJ, Nillesen WM, Innis JW, de Ravel TJL, Mercer CL, Fichera M, Stewart H, Connell LE, Ounap K, Lachlan K, Castle B, Van der Aa N, van Ravenswaaij C, Nobrega MA, Serra-Juhé C, Simonic I, de Leeuw N, Pfundt R, Bongers EM, Baker C, Finnemore P, Huang S, Maloney VK, Crolla JA, van Kalmthout M, Elia M, Vandeweyer G, Fryns JP, Janssens S, Foulds N, Reitano S, Smith K, Parkel S, Loeys B, Woods CG, Oostra A, Speleman F, Pereira AC, Kurg A, Willatt L, Knight SJL, Vermeesch JR, Romano C, Barber JC, Mortier G, Pérez-Jurado LA, Kooy F, Brunner HG, Eichler EE, Kleefstra T, de Vries BBA. Further delineation of the 15q13 microdeletion and duplication syndromes: a clinical spectrum varying from non-pathogenic to a severe outcome. J Med Genet 2009; 46:511-23. [PMID: 19372089 PMCID: PMC3395372 DOI: 10.1136/jmg.2008.063412] [Citation(s) in RCA: 210] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Recurrent 15q13.3 microdeletions were recently identified with identical proximal (BP4) and distal (BP5) breakpoints and associated with mild to moderate mental retardation and epilepsy. METHODS To assess further the clinical implications of this novel 15q13.3 microdeletion syndrome, 18 new probands with a deletion were molecularly and clinically characterised. In addition, we evaluated the characteristics of a family with a more proximal deletion between BP3 and BP4. Finally, four patients with a duplication in the BP3-BP4-BP5 region were included in this study to ascertain the clinical significance of duplications in this region. RESULTS The 15q13.3 microdeletion in our series was associated with a highly variable intra- and inter-familial phenotype. At least 11 of the 18 deletions identified were inherited. Moreover, 7 of 10 siblings from four different families also had this deletion: one had a mild developmental delay, four had only learning problems during childhood, but functioned well in daily life as adults, whereas the other two had no learning problems at all. In contrast to previous findings, seizures were not a common feature in our series (only 2 of 17 living probands). Three patients with deletions had cardiac defects and deletion of the KLF13 gene, located in the critical region, may contribute to these abnormalities. The limited data from the single family with the more proximal BP3-BP4 deletion suggest this deletion may have little clinical significance. Patients with duplications of the BP3-BP4-BP5 region did not share a recognisable phenotype, but psychiatric disease was noted in 2 of 4 patients. CONCLUSIONS Overall, our findings broaden the phenotypic spectrum associated with 15q13.3 deletions and suggest that, in some individuals, deletion of 15q13.3 is not sufficient to cause disease. The existence of microdeletion syndromes, associated with an unpredictable and variable phenotypic outcome, will pose the clinician with diagnostic difficulties and challenge the commonly used paradigm in the diagnostic setting that aberrations inherited from a phenotypically normal parent are usually without clinical consequences.
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Affiliation(s)
- B W M van Bon
- Department of Human Genetics, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, 6500 HB Nijmegen, The Netherlands
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Ma J, Fan JB, Bian L, Zhang CS, Li XW, Gu NF, Feng GY, St Clair D, He L. Association study of a (TG)n dinucleotide repeat at chromosome 15q13.3 and schizophrenia in the Chinese population. Psychiatry Res 2008; 159:245-9. [PMID: 18346794 DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2007.07.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2006] [Revised: 03/07/2007] [Accepted: 07/01/2007] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Linkage studies have suggested that chromosome 15q13-q14 may harbor a susceptibility locus for schizophrenia. In the current study, the association between a (TG)n dinucleotide repeat polymorphism at D15S976 and schizophrenia was investigated using two independent samples from the Han Chinese population. In a population-based study, no significant difference was found between the genotype and allele frequency distributions in schizophrenia patients and control subjects. In a family-based study, no significant transmission disequilibrium from heterozygous parents to affected offspring was observed. Further analysis of the parent-of-origin effect found nominally significant allele-wise transmission disequilibrium through maternal transmissions, while 157bp and 159bp alleles showed significant individual allelic transmission disequilibrium from heterozygous mothers to affected offspring. Our results did not support the hypothesis that the (TG)n dinucleotide repeat polymorphism plays a major role in schizophrenia susceptibility in the Chinese population. Further studies are needed to elucidate the putative parent-of-origin effect and its role in schizophrenia susceptibility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jie Ma
- Bio-X Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200030, PR China
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Marino MJ, Knutsen LJS, Williams M. Emerging Opportunities for Antipsychotic Drug Discovery in the Postgenomic Era. J Med Chem 2008; 51:1077-107. [PMID: 18198826 DOI: 10.1021/jm701094q] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Michael J. Marino
- Worldwide Discovery Research, Cephalon, Inc., 145 Brandywine Parkway, West Chester, Pennsylvania 19380
| | - Lars J. S. Knutsen
- Worldwide Discovery Research, Cephalon, Inc., 145 Brandywine Parkway, West Chester, Pennsylvania 19380
| | - Michael Williams
- Worldwide Discovery Research, Cephalon, Inc., 145 Brandywine Parkway, West Chester, Pennsylvania 19380
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Olincy A, Stevens KE. Treating schizophrenia symptoms with an alpha7 nicotinic agonist, from mice to men. Biochem Pharmacol 2007; 74:1192-201. [PMID: 17714692 PMCID: PMC2134979 DOI: 10.1016/j.bcp.2007.07.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 100] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2007] [Revised: 07/07/2007] [Accepted: 07/11/2007] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Current antipsychotic treatments fail to fully address the range of symptoms of schizophrenia, particularly with respect to social and occupational dysfunctions. Recent work has highlighted the role of nicotinie in both cognitive and attentional deficits as well as deficient processing of repetitive sensory information. The predilection for schizophrenia patients to be extremely heavy cigarette smokers may be related to their attempt to compensate for a reduction in hippocampal alpha7 nicotinic cholinergic receptors by delivering exogenous ligand to the remaining receptors. Studies in rodent models of both learning and memory deficits and deficits in sensory inhibition have confirmed a role for the alpha7 subtype of the nicotinic cholinergic receptor in these processes. Rodent studies also demonstrated the efficacy of a selective partial alpha7 nicotinic agonist, DMXBA, to improve these deficits. Subsequent human clinical trials demonstrated improved sensory inhibition in 12 schizophrenia patients and showed improvement in several subtests of the RBANS learning and memory assessment instrument. These data suggest that therapeutic agents selected for alpha7 nicotinic activity may have utility in treating certain symptoms of schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ann Olincy
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center, Denver, CO 80262, USA.
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15
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Martin LF, Leonard S, Hall MH, Tregellas JR, Freedman R, Olincy A. Sensory gating and alpha-7 nicotinic receptor gene allelic variants in schizoaffective disorder, bipolar type. Am J Med Genet B Neuropsychiatr Genet 2007; 144B:611-4. [PMID: 17192894 PMCID: PMC3123155 DOI: 10.1002/ajmg.b.30470] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Single nucleotide allelic variants in the promoter region of the chromosome 15 alpha-7 acetylcholine nicotinic receptor gene (CHRNA7) are associated with both schizophrenia and the P50 auditory evoked potential sensory gating deficit. The purpose of this study was to determine if CHRNA7 promoter allelic variants are also associated with abnormal P50 ratios in persons with schizoaffective disorder, bipolar type. METHODS P50 auditory evoked potentials were recorded in a paired stimulus paradigm in 17 subjects with schizoaffective disorder, bipolar type. The P50 test to conditioning ratio was used as the measure of sensory gating. Mutation screening of the CHRNA7 promoter region was performed on the subjects' DNA samples. Comparisons to previously obtained data from persons with schizophrenia and controls were made. RESULTS Subjects with schizophrenia, regardless of allele status, had an abnormal mean P50 ratio. Subjects with schizoaffective disorder, bipolar type and a variant allele had an abnormal mean P50 ratio, whereas those schizoaffective subjects with the common alleles had a normal mean P50 ratio. Normal control subjects had a normal mean ratio, but controls with variant alleles had higher P50 ratios. CONCLUSIONS In persons with bipolar type schizoaffective disorder, CHRNA7 promoter region allelic variants are linked to the capacity to inhibit the P50 auditory evoked potential and thus are associated with a type of illness genetically and biologically more similar to schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura F Martin
- Department of Psychiatry, Denver Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Denver, Colorado 80262, USA.
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16
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Martin LF, Freedman R. Schizophrenia and the alpha7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor. INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF NEUROBIOLOGY 2007; 78:225-46. [PMID: 17349863 DOI: 10.1016/s0074-7742(06)78008-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 180] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/05/2022]
Abstract
In addition to the devastating symptoms of psychosis, many people with schizophrenia also suffer from cognitive impairment. These cognitive symptoms lead to marked dysfunction and can impact employability, treatment adherence, and social skills. Deficits in P50 auditory gating are associated with attentional impairment and may contribute to cognitive symptoms and perceptual disturbances. This nicotinic cholinergic-mediated inhibitory process represents a potential new target for therapeutic intervention in schizophrenia. This chapter will review evidence implicating the nicotinic cholinergic, and specifically, the alpha7 nicotinic receptor system in the pathology of schizophrenia. Impaired auditory sensory gating has been linked to the alpha7 nicotinic receptor gene on the chromosome 15q14 locus. A majority of persons with schizophrenia are heavy smokers. Although nicotine can acutely reverse diminished auditory sensory gating in people with schizophrenia, this effect is lost on a chronic basis due to receptor desensitization. The alpha7 nicotinic agonist 3-(2,4 dimethoxy)benzylidene-anabaseine (DMXBA) can also enhance auditory sensory gating in animal models. DMXBA is well tolerated in humans and a new study in persons with schizophrenia has found that DMXBA enhances both P50 auditory gating and cognition. alpha7 Nicotinic acetylcholine receptor agonists appear to be viable candidates for the treatment of cognitive disturbances in schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura F Martin
- Research Service, VA Eastern Colorado Health Care System, Denver, Colorado 80220, USA
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17
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Anokhin AP, Vedeniapin AB, Heath AC, Korzyukov O, Boutros NN. Genetic and environmental influences on sensory gating of mid-latency auditory evoked responses: a twin study. Schizophr Res 2007; 89:312-9. [PMID: 17014995 DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2006.08.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2006] [Revised: 07/20/2006] [Accepted: 08/14/2006] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
A deficit in sensory gating measured by the suppression of P50 auditory event-related potential (ERP) has been implicated in the biological bases of schizophrenia and some other psychiatric disorders and proposed as a candidate endophenotype for genetic studies. More recently, it has been shown that gating deficits in schizophrenics extend to ERP components reflecting early attentive processing (the N1/P2 complex). However, evidence for heritability of sensory gating in the general population is very limited. Heritability of P50, N1, and P2 amplitudes and gating was estimated in 54 monozygotic and 55 dizygotic twin pairs using a dual-click auditory paradigm. Genetic model-fitting analysis showed high heritability of peak amplitudes of P50, N1, and P2 waves. Genetic influences on P50 gating (S2/S1) were modest, while heritability of N1 and P2 gating was high and significant. The alternative gating measure (S1-S2 difference) showed significant heritability for all three ERP components. Weak genetic influences on P50 gating ratio can be related to its poor test-retest reliability demonstrated in previous studies. These results suggest that gating measures derived from the N1/P2 wave complex may be useful endophenotypes for population-based genetic studies of the sensory gating function and its impairments in psychopathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrey P Anokhin
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St.Louis, MO, USA.
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18
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Iwata Y, Nakajima M, Yamada K, Nakamura K, Sekine Y, Tsuchiya KJ, Sugihara G, Matsuzaki H, Suda S, Suzuki K, Takei N, Mori N, Iwayama Y, Takao H, Yoshikawa T, Riley B, Makoff A, Sham P, Chen R, Collier D. Linkage disequilibrium analysis of the CHRNA7 gene and its partially duplicated region in schizophrenia. Neurosci Res 2006; 57:194-202. [PMID: 17113175 DOI: 10.1016/j.neures.2006.10.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2006] [Revised: 10/10/2006] [Accepted: 10/11/2006] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Several previous studies have reported a significant linkage between markers in the alpha 7 nicotinic cholinergic receptor subunit (CHRNA7) gene and either schizophrenia or the P50 sensory gating deficit, a schizophrenia endophenotype. However, CHRFAM7A, a partially duplicated gene 1.6Mb upstream of the CHRNA7 gene, has complicated further genetic analysis. We genotyped 14 polymorphic markers throughout the full-length CHRNA7 gene and the duplicated region in 188 unrelated Han Chinese patients with schizophrenia and 188 controls. The duplicated regions were assessed by genotyping up- and down-stream polymorphic markers in the vicinity of each region and analyzing the linkage disequilibrium (LD) between each pair of markers. No evidence of risk variants for schizophrenia in either the CHRNA7 gene or the partially duplicated region was found in the LD analysis. A significant deviation from the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (HWE) was found only in the genotypic distribution of SNP9 (IVS4-1912) in patients (p=0.00829), but not in controls. In conclusion, our LD analysis did not reveal any association between schizophrenia in our Han Chinese population and the CHRNA7 gene or its partially duplicated region. However, we could not exclude the possibility of a weak genetic effect due to the small sample size. Analyses of larger samples and higher-density markers, particularly around SNP9 (IVS4-1912), are still needed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yasuhide Iwata
- Division of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, 1 Windsor Walk, Denmark Hill, London, UK.
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19
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Flomen RH, Collier DA, Osborne S, Munro J, Breen G, St Clair D, Makoff AJ. Association study of CHRFAM7A copy number and 2 bp deletion polymorphisms with schizophrenia and bipolar affective disorder. Am J Med Genet B Neuropsychiatr Genet 2006; 141B:571-5. [PMID: 16823804 DOI: 10.1002/ajmg.b.30306] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Schizophrenia and bipolar disorder are major psychiatric diseases that have a strong genetic element. Markers in the vicinity of the CHRNA7 gene at 15q13-q14 have been linked with an endophenotype of schizophrenia, P50 sensory gating disorder, with schizophrenia itself and with bipolar disorder. We have measured the copy number of the polymorphic partial duplication of CHRNA7 (CHRFAM7A) and genotyped a polymorphic 2 bp deletion within exon 6 of CHRFAM7A. In this study, 208 probands with a primary diagnosis of schizophrenia, 217 with a diagnosis of bipolar affective disorder and 28 with schizoaffective or other psychotic disorders were examined together with 197 controls recruited from the same region in Scotland. No significant association was seen for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder by genotype or allele overall for either polymorphism, but a mildly significant association by genotype (P = 0.04) was observed for absence of CHRFAM7A when the sample was analyzed as a single psychosis phenotype.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel H Flomen
- Division of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, London, United Kingdom.
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20
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Leonard S, Freedman R. Genetics of chromosome 15q13-q14 in schizophrenia. Biol Psychiatry 2006; 60:115-22. [PMID: 16843094 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2006.03.054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 98] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2005] [Revised: 03/14/2006] [Accepted: 03/16/2006] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
Positive genetic linkage to the 15q13-q14 region has been found in 11 studies, and several association reports support this locus as a candidate region for schizophrenia. The locus is unusual in that it was first linked to an endophenotype found in schizophrenia, the P50 deficit, and subsequently to schizophrenia. There is also biological data showing that a candidate gene in the region, the alpha7 nicotinic receptor CHRNA7, plays a seminal role in the linked endophenotype, and is decreased in expression in the patient population. The 15q13-q14 region is complicated by a partial duplication of the CHRNA7 gene that includes exons 5-10 and considerable sequence downstream. Evidence from multiple studies supports a broad region of genetic linkage around the marker D15S1360.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sherry Leonard
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center, Fitzsimmons Campus, Aurora, Colorado 80045, USA.
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21
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Freedman R, Leonard S, Waldo M, Gault J, Olincy A, Adler LE. Characterization of allelic variants at chromosome 15q14 in schizophrenia. GENES BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR 2006; 5 Suppl 1:14-22. [PMID: 16417613 DOI: 10.1111/j.1601-183x.2006.00190.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Evidence of genetic linkage for schizophrenia at chromosome 15q14 has been reported in nine independent studies, but the molecular variants responsible for transmission of genetic risk are unknown. National Institute of Mental Health Schizophrenia Genetics Initiative families were genotyped for single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and dinucleotide repeat markers in the 15q14 linkage region and analyzed based on the presence of particular alleles of the dinucleotide repeat marker D15S165 in the 15q14 region. Two alleles showed both familial transmission disequilibrium and population-wide association with schizophrenia. The two groups identified by these two D15S165 alleles differ in age of onset, number of hospitalizations and intensity of nicotine abuse, as well as in predominant ethnicity. Variations in the frequency of SNPs in CHRNA7, the alpha-7-nicotinic acetylcholine receptor subunit gene at 15q14, were found in each group. Further sequencing in these two groups may yield more definitive identification of the molecular pathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Freedman
- Department of Psychiatry, Denver VA MIRECC, Denver, CO, USA.
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22
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Li CH, Liao HM, Chen CH. Identification of molecular variants at the promoter region of the human α7 neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptor subunit gene but lack of association with schizophrenia. Neurosci Lett 2004; 372:1-5. [PMID: 15531077 DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2004.07.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2004] [Revised: 07/04/2004] [Accepted: 07/08/2004] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
The human alpha7 neuronal nicotinic receptor subunit gene has been considered as a candidate gene for P50 sensory gating deficit in schizophrenic patients. Because P50 sensory gating deficit is a common neurophysiological dysfunction in patients with schizophrenia and schizophrenia spectrum disorders, it is conceivable to hypothesize that the human alpha7 neuronal nicotinic receptor subunit gene might be a susceptible gene for schizophrenia. Researchers have reported that mutations in the protein-coding sequences of the human alpha7 neuronal nicotinic receptor subunit gene are very rare. Therefore, we searched for mutations at the promoter region of the human alpha7 neuronal nicotinic receptor subunit gene and performed a genetic association study in 249 unrelated Han Chinese schizophrenic patients and 273 non-psychotic subjects from Taiwan. Two molecular variants were identified and designated g.-213G>A and g.-324A>G, respectively. The g.-213G>A variant was found to obliterate a putative NF-1 transcription factor binding site using computer analysis. One out of 249 patients was detected to be a heterozygote for this variant, but none of 273 control subjects was. The g.-324A>G variant was also very rare in both patients and control subjects, only one heterozygote of this variant was identified in 249 patients and 273 control subjects, respectively. Hence, in this study, we did not find mutations in the human alpha7 neuronal nicotinic receptor subunit gene that are associated with schizophrenia in our population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chen-Hao Li
- Department of Psychiatry, Tzu-Chi General Hospital, and Tzu-Chi University, 701 Section 3, Chung-Yang Road, Hualien City 970, Taiwan, ROC
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23
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Martin LF, Kem WR, Freedman R. Alpha-7 nicotinic receptor agonists: potential new candidates for the treatment of schizophrenia. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2004; 174:54-64. [PMID: 15205879 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-003-1750-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 266] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2003] [Accepted: 11/28/2003] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVE Auditory sensory gating, a biological measurement of the ability to suppress the evoked response to the second of two auditory stimuli, is diminished in people with schizophrenia. Deficits in sensory gating are associated with attentional impairment, and may contribute to cognitive symptoms and perceptual disturbances. This inhibitory process, which involves the alpha(7) nicotinic receptor mediated release of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) by hippocampal interneurons, represents a potential new target for therapeutic intervention in schizophrenia. METHOD This paper will review several lines of evidence implicating the nicotinic-cholinergic, and specifically, the alpha(7) nicotinic receptor system in the pathology of schizophrenia and the evidence that alpha(7) nicotinic receptor agonists may ameliorate some of these deficits. RESULTS Impaired auditory sensory gating has been linked to the alpha(7) nicotinic receptor gene on the chromosome 15q14 locus. Single nucleotide polymorphisms of the promoter region of this gene are more frequent in people with schizophrenia. Although nicotine can acutely reverse diminished auditory sensory gating in people with schizophrenia, this effect is lost on a chronic basis due to receptor desensitization. Clozapine is able to reverse auditory sensory gating impairment, probably through an alpha(7) nicotinic receptor mechanism, in both humans and animal models with repeated dosing. The alpha(7) nicotinic agonist 3-2,4 dimethoxybenzylidene anabaseine (DMXBA) can also enhance auditory sensory gating in animal models. DMXBA is well tolerated in humans and improves several cognitive measures. CONCLUSION Alpha-7 nicotinic receptor agonists appear to be reasonable candidates for the treatment of cognitive and perceptual disturbances in schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura F Martin
- Department of Psychiatry, Department of Veterans Affairs and University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, 4200 East Ninth Avenue, C268-71, Denver, CO 80262, USA.
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24
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Champtiaux N, Changeux JP. Knockout and knockin mice to investigate the role of nicotinic receptors in the central nervous system. PROGRESS IN BRAIN RESEARCH 2004; 145:235-51. [PMID: 14650919 DOI: 10.1016/s0079-6123(03)45016-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The recent use of genetically engineered knockout (Ko) and knockin (Kin) animals for neurotransmitter receptor genes, in particular, nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) in the brain, has provided a powerful alternative to the classical pharmacological approach. These animal models are not only useful in order to reexamine and refine the results derived from pharmacological studies, but they do also provide a unique opportunity to determine the subunit composition of the nicotinic receptors which modulate various brain functions. Ultimately, this knowledge will be valuable in the process of designing new drugs that will mimic the effects of nicotine on several important pathologies or on smoking cessation therapies. In this review, we present recent data obtained from the studies of mutant animals that contributed to our understanding of the role and composition of nAChRs in the central nervous system (CNS). The advantages and pitfalls of Ko animal models will also be discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicolas Champtiaux
- Laboratoire de Neurobiologie Moléculaire, Centre National de la Recherche scientifique, Unité de Recherche Associée 2182 Récepteurs et Cognition, Institut Pasteur, 75724 Paris, France
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25
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Hogg RC, Raggenbass M, Bertrand D. Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors: from structure to brain function. Rev Physiol Biochem Pharmacol 2003; 147:1-46. [PMID: 12783266 DOI: 10.1007/s10254-003-0005-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 365] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/05/2022]
Abstract
Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) are ligand-gated ion channels and can be divided into two groups: muscle receptors, which are found at the skeletal neuromuscular junction where they mediate neuromuscular transmission, and neuronal receptors, which are found throughout the peripheral and central nervous system where they are involved in fast synaptic transmission. nAChRs are pentameric structures that are made up of combinations of individual subunits. Twelve neuronal nAChR subunits have been described, alpha2-alpha10 and beta2-beta4; these are differentially expressed throughout the nervous system and combine to form nAChRs with a wide range of physiological and pharmacological profiles. The nAChR has been proposed as a model of an allosteric protein in which effects arising from the binding of a ligand to a site on the protein can lead to changes in another part of the molecule. A great deal is known about the structure of the pentameric receptor. The extracellular domain contains binding sites for numerous ligands, which alter receptor behavior through allosteric mechanisms. Functional studies have revealed that nAChRs contribute to the control of resting membrane potential, modulation of synaptic transmission and mediation of fast excitatory transmission. To date, ten genes have been identified in the human genome coding for the nAChRs. nAChRs have been demonstrated to be involved in cognitive processes such as learning and memory and control of movement in normal subjects. Recent data from knockout animals has extended the understanding of nAChR function. Dysfunction of nAChR has been linked to a number of human diseases such as schizophrenia, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. nAChRs also play a significant role in nicotine addiction, which is a major public health concern. A genetically transmissible epilepsy, ADNFLE, has been associated with specific mutations in the gene coding for the alpha4 or beta2 subunits, which leads to altered receptor properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- R C Hogg
- Department of Physiology, CMU, 1 rue Michel Servet, 1211 Geneva 4, Switzerland.
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26
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Freedman R, Adams CE, Adler LE, Bickford PC, Gault J, Harris JG, Nagamoto HT, Olincy A, Ross RG, Stevens KE, Waldo M, Leonard S. Inhibitory neurophysiological deficit as a phenotype for genetic investigation of schizophrenia. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF MEDICAL GENETICS 2003; 97:58-64. [PMID: 10813805 DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1096-8628(200021)97:1<58::aid-ajmg8>3.0.co;2-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Many investigators have proposed that biological endophenotypes might facilitate the genetic analysis of schizophrenia. A deficit in the inhibition of the P50 evoked response to repeated auditory stimuli has been characterized as a neurobiological deficit in schizophrenia. This deficit is linked to a candidate gene locus, the locus of the alpha7-nicotinic cholinergic receptor subunit gene on chromosome 15q14. Supportive evidence has been found by other investigators, including: 1) linkage of schizophrenia to the same locus; 2) linkage of bipolar disorder to the locus; and 3) replication of the existence of this neurobiological deficit and its relation to broader neuropsychological deficits in schizophrenia. It is certain that there are many genetic factors in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder; what is needed is a complete and precise description of the contribution of each individual factor to the pathophysiology of these illnesses.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Freedman
- Psychiatry and Pharmacology, University of Colorado, CO 80262, USA.
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27
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Abstract
Genetic epidemiology has provided consistent evidence over many years that schizophrenia has a genetic component, and that this genetic component is complex, polygenic, and involves epistatic interaction between loci. Molecular genetics studies have, however, so far failed to identify any DNA variant that can be demonstrated to contribute to either liability to schizophrenia or to any identifiable part of the underlying pathology. Replication studies of positive findings have been difficult to interpret for a variety of reasons. First, few have reproduced the initial findings, which may be due either to random variation between two samples in the genetic inputs involved, or to a lack of power to replicate an effect at a given alpha level. Where positive data have been found in replication studies, the positioning of the locus has been unreliable, leading no closer to positional cloning of genes involved. However, an assessment of all the linkage studies performed over the past ten years does suggest a number of regions where positive results are found numerous times. These include regions on chromosomes 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 13, 15, 18, 22 and the X. All of these data are critically reviewed and their locations compared. Reasons for the difficulty in obtaining consistent results and possible strategies for overcoming them are discussed. Am. J. Med. Genet. (Semin. Med. Genet.) 97:23-44, 2000.
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Affiliation(s)
- B P Riley
- MRC Research Fellow, Department of Psychological Medicien and the Social Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Research Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Kings college, London.
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28
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Abstract
Linkage studies of mental illness have provided suggestive evidence of susceptibility loci over many broad chromosomal regions. Pinpointing causative gene mutations by conventional linkage strategies alone is problematic. The breakpoints of chromosomal abnormalities occurring in patients with mental illness may be more direct pointers to the relevant gene locus. Publications that describe patients where chromosomal abnormalities co-exist with mental illness are reviewed along with supporting evidence that this may amount to an association. Chromosomal abnormalities are considered to be of possible significance if (a) the abnormality is rare and there are independent reports of its coexistence with psychiatric illness, or (b) there is colocalisation of the abnormality with a region of suggestive linkage findings, or (c) there is an apparent cosegregation of the abnormality with psychiatric illness within the individual's family. Breakpoints have been described within many of the loci suggested by linkage studies and these findings support the hypothesis that shared susceptibility factors for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder may exist. If these abnormalities directly disrupt coding regions, then combining molecular genetic breakpoint cloning with bioinformatic sequence analysis may be a method of rapidly identifying candidate genes. Full karyotyping of individuals with psychotic illness especially where this coexists with mild learning disability, dysmorphism or a strong family history of mental disorder is encouraged.
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Affiliation(s)
- D J MacIntyre
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Edinburgh, Scotland, UK
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29
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Meyer J, Ortega G, Schraut K, Nürnberg G, Rüschendorf F, Saar K, Mössner R, Wienker TF, Reis A, Stöber G, Lesch KP. Exclusion of the neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptor alpha7 subunit gene as a candidate for catatonic schizophrenia in a large family supporting the chromosome 15q13-22 locus. Mol Psychiatry 2002; 7:220-3. [PMID: 11840317 DOI: 10.1038/sj.mp.4000970] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2001] [Revised: 06/27/2001] [Accepted: 07/10/2001] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
The gene encoding the neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptor alpha7 subunit (CHRNA7) is located on chromosome 15q13.2. This region was suggested to be involved in the etiopathogenesis of: (a) schizophrenia combined with a neurophysiological deficit; (b) lithium-responsive bipolar disorder; and (c) familial catatonic schizophrenia (periodic catatonia). Therefore, members of a large family with periodic catatonia strongly supporting the chromosome 15q13-22 region were genotyped with polymorphic markers localized around the CHRNA7 locus. A recombination event distally of marker D15S144 leading to the exclusion of the CHRNA7 locus from this candidate region was detected in one branch of the pedigree. This result provides strong evidence that a gene located telomeric to CHRNA7 is causative for the pathogenesis of catatonic schizophrenia in this family.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Meyer
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Wuerzburg, Wuerzburg, Germany.
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30
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Abstract
Schizophrenia is a complex genetic disease with a prevalence rate of 1% in the general population. Schizotypal personality disorder (SPD) occurs in up to 3% of the population, and these subjects are phenomenologically and perhaps genotypically related to schizophrenia. The diagnosis of SPD was empirically derived based on the symptoms of individuals with a genetic relationship to schizophrenia patients and SPD may be a more common phenotypic expression of a schizophrenia-related diathesis than is schizophrenia itself. Family-genetic studies have determined that (1) relatives of schizophrenic patients have an increased risk of SPD and (2) relatives of SPD subjects have increased the rates of both schizophrenia and SPD. Because SPD subjects do not typically have the confounding effects of a chronic illness, long-term hospitalization or chronic neuroleptic treatment, they are ideal for the study of the proposed trait-related vulnerability markers in schizophrenia spectrum individuals. The study of vulnerability markers in SPD subjects has become increasingly important because it provides a means of assessing phenotypic traits that may not be evident clinically. By combining multiple inhibitory/gating information processing measures, it may be possible to identify a subgroup of SPD subjects with multiple inhibitory deficits who are phenotypically most similar to patients with schizophrenia. Composite phenotypes can also be developed, which increase the probability of identifying the complex genetic architecture of schizophrenia spectrum disorders, which interact with nongenetic protective and exacerbating factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristin S Cadenhead
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California-San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093-0804, USA
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Freedman R, Adler LE, Olincy A, Waldo MC, Ross RG, Stevens KE, Leonard S. Input dysfunction, schizotypy, and genetic models of schizophrenia. Schizophr Res 2002; 54:25-32. [PMID: 11853975 DOI: 10.1016/s0920-9964(01)00348-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Peter Venables proposed that an input dysfunction, which causes the brain to lose its ability to control the flood of sensory information into its higher level processing areas, might be an important pathophysiological mechanism in schizophrenia. The hypothesis was part of his general belief that even the most severe psychopathology arises from aberrations in normal brain psychophysiology. Neurobiological and genetic investigations based on his initial observations include the demonstration that diminished inhibition of the auditory-evoked response to repeated stimuli is a genetically determined deficit, linked to one of the chromosomal loci that is also responsible for the part of the genetically transmitted risk for schizophrenia. Increasing evidence that schizophrenia is a multigenetic illness prompts reconsideration of the nature of schizotypy. Individual genes that convey part of the risk for schizophrenia may be quite common in the general population and cause relatively subtle changes in psychophysiology. Thus, as predicted by Venables, the substrates of schizotypy and schizophrenia may arise from variants in normal brain function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert Freedman
- Department of Psychiatry and Pharmacology, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Campus Box C-268-71, 4200 E. Ninth Avenue, Denver, CO 80262, USA.
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Prasad S, Semwal P, Deshpande S, Bhatia T, Nimgaonkar VL, Thelma BK. Molecular genetics of schizophrenia: past, present and future. J Biosci 2002; 27:35-52. [PMID: 11927776 DOI: 10.1007/bf02703682] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Schizophrenia is a severe neuropsychiatric disorder with a polygenic mode of inheritance which is also governed by non-genetic factors. Candidate genes identified on the basis of biochemical and pharmacological evidence are being tested for linkage and association studies. Neurotransmitters, especially dopamine and serotonin have been widely implicated in its etiology. Genome scan of all human chromosomes with closely spaced polymorphic markers is being used for linkage studies. The completion and availability of the first draft of Human Genome Sequence has provided a treasure-trove that can be utilized to gain insight into the so far inaccessible regions of the human genome. Significant technological advances for identification of single nucleo-tide polymorphisms (SNPs) and use of microarrays have further strengthened research methodologies for genetic analysis of complex traits. In this review, we summarize the evolution of schizophrenia genetics from the past to the present, current trends and future direction of research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suman Prasad
- Department of Genetics, University of Delhi South Campus, Benito Juarez Road, New Delhi 110 021, India
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33
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Riley B, Williamson M, Collier D, Wilkie H, Makoff A. A 3-Mb map of a large Segmental duplication overlapping the alpha7-nicotinic acetylcholine receptor gene (CHRNA7) at human 15q13-q14. Genomics 2002; 79:197-209. [PMID: 11829490 DOI: 10.1006/geno.2002.6694] [Citation(s) in RCA: 88] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Several neuropsychiatric disorders map to human 15q13-q14, which contains a strong candidate in the alpha7-nicotinic acetylcholine receptor subunit gene (CHRNA7) and is partly duplicated, complicating further genetic analysis. We have shown that the partial duplication is in a hybrid (CHRFAM7A)between CHRNA7 and one of many copies of a novel gene (FAM7A). We have constructed a 3-Mb map of 15q13-q14 showing that CHRFAM7A is part of a large segmental duplication in the opposite orientation to CHRNA7 and revealing several other duplications. The data support a model of recent evolutionary events including duplications, at least one large deletion, and an inversion. We have identified two individuals with a structure that lacks CHRFAM7A and therefore predates many steps in this model, suggesting an unstable region with other intermediates possibly still in existence. This instability may be relevant to the many neuropsychiatric disorders that map in this region.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brien Riley
- Social Genetic Developmental and Psychiatric Research Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, De Crespigny Park, London, SE5 8AF, UK
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Tsuang DW, Skol AD, Faraone SV, Bingham S, Young KA, Prabhudesai S, Haverstock SL, Mena F, Menon AS, Bisset D, Pepple J, Sauter F, Baldwin C, Weiss D, Collins J, Boehnke M, Schellenberg GD, Tsuang MT. Examination of genetic linkage of chromosome 15 to schizophrenia in a large Veterans Affairs Cooperative Study sample. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2002. [DOI: 10.1002/ajmg.1550] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
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35
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Xu J, Pato MT, Torre CD, Medeiros H, Carvalho C, Basile VS, Bauer A, Dourado A, Valente J, Soares MJ, Macedo AA, Coelho I, Ferreira CP, Azevedo MH, Macciardi F, Kennedy JL, Pato CN. Evidence for linkage disequilibrium between the alpha 7-nicotinic receptor gene (CHRNA7) locus and schizophrenia in Azorean families. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF MEDICAL GENETICS 2001; 105:669-74. [PMID: 11803513 DOI: 10.1002/ajmg.1549] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Recent studies have suggested that the alpha 7-nicotinic receptor gene (CHRNA7) may play a role in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia. The alpha 7-nicotinic receptor gene (CHRNA7) is involved in P50 auditory sensory gating deficits, and the genomic locus for this gene lies in the chromosome 15q13-14 regions. The human gene is partially duplicated (exons 5-10) with four novel upstream exons. The marker D15S1360 has been shown to be significantly linked with the phenotype of abnormal P50 suppression in schizophrenia families. The marker L76630 is 3 kb in the 3' direction from the last exon of the CHRNA7 gene and is located in the duplicated region. The function of the two L76630 copies is unknown. We genotyped three polymorphic markers D15S1360, D15S165, and L76630 that are localized in a genomic fragment containing the CHRNA7 in 31 Azorean schizophrenia families/trios (including 41 schizophrenia individuals and 97 unaffected families members). An overall analysis utilizing the family-based association test revealed significant linkage disequilibrium between L76630 and schizophrenia (P = 0.0004). Using the extended transmission disequilibrium test and limiting the analysis to one triad per family, transmission disequilibrium of D15S1360 was near significance (P = 0.078). The 15q13 region overlaps with the location of two well-known genomically imprinted disorders: Angelman syndrome and Prader-Willi syndrome. Therefore, we investigated maternal and paternal meioses. We found significant transmission disequilibrium for D15S1360 through paternal transmission (P = 0.0006) in our schizophrenia families. The L76630 marker showed a significant disequilibrium in maternal transmissions (P = 0.028). No parent-of-origin effect was found in D15S165. Overall, our results suggest that the CHRNA7 may play a role in schizophrenia in these families. A parent of origin effect may be present and requires further study.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Xu
- Behavioral Health Care Line, VA Western New York Healthcare System and Department of Psychiatry, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York 14214, USA
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36
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Freedman R, Leonard S, Olincy A, Kaufmann CA, Malaspina D, Cloninger CR, Svrakic D, Faraone SV, Tsuang MT. Evidence for the multigenic inheritance of schizophrenia. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF MEDICAL GENETICS 2001; 105:794-800. [PMID: 11803533 DOI: 10.1002/ajmg.10100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 86] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Schizophrenia is assumed to have complex inheritance because of its high prevalence and sporadic familial transmission. Findings of linkage on different chromosomes in various studies corroborate this assumption. It is not known whether these findings represent heterogeneous inheritance, in which various ethnic groups inherit illness through different major gene effects, or multigenic inheritance, in which affected individuals inherit several common genetic abnormalities. This study therefore examined inheritance of schizophrenia at different genetic loci in a nationally collected European American and African American sample. Seventy-seven families were previously genotyped at 458 markers for the NIMH Schizophrenia Genetics Initiative. Initial genetic analysis tested a dominant model, with schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder, depressed type, as the affected phenotype. The families showed one genome-wide significant linkage (Z = 3.97) at chromosome 15q14, which maps within 1 cM of a previous linkage at the alpha 7-nicotinic receptor gene. Chromosome 10p13 showed suggestive linkage (Z = 2.40). Six others (6q21, 9q32, 13q32, 15q24, 17p12, 20q13) were positive, with few differences between the two ethnic groups. The probability of each family transmitting schizophrenia through two genes is greater than expected from the combination of the independent segregation of each gene. Two trait-locus linkage analysis supports a model in which genetic alleles associated with schizophrenia are relatively common in the general population and affected individuals inherit risk for illness through at least two different loci.
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MESH Headings
- Alleles
- Chromosomes, Human, Pair 10/genetics
- Chromosomes, Human, Pair 13/genetics
- Chromosomes, Human, Pair 15/genetics
- Chromosomes, Human, Pair 17/genetics
- Chromosomes, Human, Pair 20/genetics
- Chromosomes, Human, Pair 6/genetics
- Chromosomes, Human, Pair 9/genetics
- Family Health
- Gene Frequency
- Genetic Linkage
- Genotype
- Humans
- Lod Score
- Microsatellite Repeats
- Multifactorial Inheritance
- Schizophrenia/genetics
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Affiliation(s)
- R Freedman
- Department of Psychiatry, Denver VA Medical Center and University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Denver, Colorado 80262, USA.
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Liu CM, Hwu HG, Lin MW, Ou-Yang WC, Lee SF, Fann CS, Wong SH, Hsieh SH. Suggestive evidence for linkage of schizophrenia to markers at chromosome 15q13-14 in Taiwanese families. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF MEDICAL GENETICS 2001; 105:658-61. [PMID: 11803511 DOI: 10.1002/ajmg.1547] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
In order to evaluate the linkage of schizophrenia to loci at chromosome 15q, we genotyped six microsatellite markers at chromosome 15q11-14 in 52 Taiwanese schizophrenic families. Two phenotype models (narrow: DSM-IV schizophrenia only; and broad: including schizophrenia, schizoaffective, and other nonaffective psychotic disorders) were used to define the disease phenotype. Maximum nonparametric linkage scores (NPL scores) of 3.33 (P = 0.0003) and 2.96 (P = 0.0008) were obtained at the marker D15S976 under broad and narrow models, respectively. Positive linkage results were also observed at the marker D15S1360, previously reported to have significant linkage to a neurophysiological deficit of schizophrenia, with NPL scores of 2.71 (P = 0.003) and 2.78 (P = 0.002) under broad and narrow models, respectively. The results provide suggestive linkage evidence of schizophrenia to loci at chromosome 15q13-14 in an ethnically distinct Taiwanese sample.
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Affiliation(s)
- C M Liu
- Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
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38
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Gejman PV, Sanders AR, Badner JA, Cao Q, Zhang J. Linkage analysis of schizophrenia to chromosome 15. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF MEDICAL GENETICS 2001; 105:789-93. [PMID: 11803532 DOI: 10.1002/ajmg.1552] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
We have mapped a sample of 68 families consisting of one or more affected sibling pairs with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder with 20 markers spanning all of chromosome 15 to investigate whether there is a locus on chromosome 15 that confers an increased susceptibility to schizophrenia using parametric and nonparametric linkage analyses. Allele sharing identical by descent and multipoint maximum likelihood score (MLS) statistics were employed. Results show excess allele sharing for multiple markers in 15q11.2-q25, a chromosomal region previously found linked to a decrease in the normal inhibition of the P50 auditory-evoked response to the second of paired stimuli, a decrease associated with schizophrenia. Excess allele sharing was found for markers spanning about 48 cM in 15q11.2-q25 (D15S1002-D15S1023). The greatest single point allele sharing was found at D15S659 (62.6%). The multipoint MLS scores were greater than 1.0 in the 30-52 cM interval delimited by ACTC and D15S150, with a maximum value of 2.0 with GENEHUNTER PLUS near D15S1039.
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Affiliation(s)
- P V Gejman
- Unit on Molecular Clinical Investigation, Clinical Neurogenetics Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, Natinaol Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA.
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39
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Freedman R, Leonard S. Genetic linkage to schizophrenia at chromosome 15q14. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF MEDICAL GENETICS 2001; 105:655-7. [PMID: 11803510 DOI: 10.1002/ajmg.1548] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
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40
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Leonard S, Adler LE, Benhammou K, Berger R, Breese CR, Drebing C, Gault J, Lee MJ, Logel J, Olincy A, Ross RG, Stevens K, Sullivan B, Vianzon R, Virnich DE, Waldo M, Walton K, Freedman R. Smoking and mental illness. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 2001; 70:561-70. [PMID: 11796154 DOI: 10.1016/s0091-3057(01)00677-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 195] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Patients with mental illness have a higher incidence of smoking than the general population and are the major consumers of tobacco products. This population includes subjects with schizophrenia, manic depression, depression, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), attention-deficit disorder (ADD), and several other less common diseases. Smoking cessation treatment in this group of patients is difficult, often leading to profound depression. Several recent findings suggest that increased smoking in the mentally ill may have an underlying biological etiology. The mental illness schizophrenia has been most thoroughly studied in this regard. Nicotine administration normalizes several sensory-processing deficits seen in this disease. Animal models of sensory deficits have been used to identify specific nicotinic receptor subunits that are involved in these brain pathways, indicating that the alpha 7 nicotinic receptor subunit may play a role. Genetic linkage in schizophrenic families also supports a role for the alpha 7 subunit with linkage at the alpha 7 locus on chromosome 15. Bipolar disorder has some phenotypes in common with schizophrenia and also exhibits genetic linkage to the alpha 7 locus, suggesting that these two disorders may share a gene defect. The alpha 7 receptor is decreased in expression in schizophrenia. [(3)H]-Nicotine binding studies in postmortem brain indicate that high-affinity nicotinic receptors may also be affected in schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Leonard
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Box C-268-71, 4200 East 9th Avenue, Denver, CO 80262, USA.
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41
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Freedman R, Leonard S, Gault JM, Hopkins J, Cloninger CR, Kaufmann CA, Tsuang MT, Farone SV, Malaspina D, Svrakic DM, Sanders A, Gejman P. Linkage disequilibrium for schizophrenia at the chromosome 15q13-14 locus of the ?7-nicotinic acetylcholine receptor subunit gene (CHRNA7). ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2001. [DOI: 10.1002/1096-8628(20010108)105:1<20::aid-ajmg1047>3.0.co;2-c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 151] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
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42
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Freedman R, Adams CE, Leonard S. The alpha7-nicotinic acetylcholine receptor and the pathology of hippocampal interneurons in schizophrenia. J Chem Neuroanat 2000; 20:299-306. [PMID: 11207427 DOI: 10.1016/s0891-0618(00)00109-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 172] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
This paper is a review of a recent findings on the pathology of hippocampal interneurons in schizophrenia, with specific emphasis on a protein expressed by these cells, the alpha7-nicotinic acetylcholine receptor subunit. Convergent information indicates that interneurons in the hippocampus and other forebrain structures are decreased in number and function in subjects with schizophrenia. Among the neurochemical markers that are decreased in the hippocampus are synapsin I, cholecystokinin, somatostatin, glutamic acid decarboxylase, and nitric oxide synthase. GABA uptake sites and the GABA synthetic enzyme glutamic acid decarboxylase are also diminished. Included among these findings is decreased binding of alpha-bungarotoxin, which binds to low-affinity nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, such as the alpha7-nicotinic receptor. Co-labeling experiments in rodents indicate that these markers are expressed on overlapping populations of hippocampal interneurons. Thus, the finding of decreased neurochemical function of hippocampal interneurons is a widely replicated finding, with different groups reporting markedly similar findings using independent post mortem samples and different neurochemical strategies. Decreased alpha-bungarotoxin binding or decreased alpha7-nicotinic receptor immunoreactivity has also been found in the frontal cortex and in the nucleus reticularis thalami of schizophrenic subjects. The alpha7-nicotinic receptor subunit gene on chromosome 15q14 is a site of heritability for schizophrenia and bipolar affective disorder, and in, particular, for a deficit in inhibitory neuronal function associated with these illnesses. Thus, the post mortem data are further supported by psychophysiologic and genetic investigations that indicate a deficit in inhibitory interneuronal function, involving the alpha7-nicotinic receptor. The alpha7-receptor is a ligand-gated ion channel that admits calcium ions into cells, and it has been proposed to have various developmental roles. Its malfunction may be part of the developmental pathogenesis of schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Freedman
- Departments of Psychiatry and Pharmacology, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center and Denver VA Medical Center, Campus Box C-268-71, Room 3F10, 4200 East Ninth Avenue, Denver, CO 80262, USA.
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43
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Stöber G, Saar K, Rüschendorf F, Meyer J, Nürnberg G, Jatzke S, Franzek E, Reis A, Lesch KP, Wienker TF, Beckmann H. Splitting schizophrenia: periodic catatonia-susceptibility locus on chromosome 15q15. Am J Hum Genet 2000; 67:1201-7. [PMID: 11001582 PMCID: PMC1288562 DOI: 10.1016/s0002-9297(07)62950-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 84] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2000] [Accepted: 08/17/2000] [Indexed: 10/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The nature of subtypes in schizophrenia and the meaning of heterogeneity in schizophrenia have been considered a principal controversy in psychiatric research. We addressed these issues in periodic catatonia, a clinical entity derived from Leonhard's classification of schizophrenias, in a genomewide linkage scan. Periodic catatonia is characterized by qualitative psychomotor disturbances during acute psychotic outbursts and by long-term outcome. On the basis of our previous findings of a lifetime morbidity risk of 26.9% of periodic catatonia in first-degree relatives, we conducted a genome scan in 12 multiplex pedigrees with 135 individuals, using 356 markers with an average spacing of 11 cM. In nonparametric multipoint linkage analyses (by GENEHUNTER-PLUS), significant evidence for linkage was obtained on chromosome 15q15 (P = 2.6 x 10(-5); nonparametric LOD score [LOD*] 3.57). A further locus on chromosome 22q13 with suggestive evidence for linkage (P = 1.8 x 10(-3); LOD* 1.85) was detected, which indicated genetic heterogeneity. Parametric linkage analysis under an autosomal dominant model (affecteds-only analysis) provided independent confirmation of nonparametric linkage results, with maximum LOD scores 2.75 (recombination fraction [theta].04; two-point analysis) and 2.89 (theta =.029; four-point analysis), at the chromosome 15q candidate region. Splitting the complex group of schizophrenias on the basis of clinical observation and genetic analysis, we identified periodic catatonia as a valid nosological entity. Our findings provide evidence that periodic catatonia is associated with a major disease locus, which maps to chromosome 15q15.
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Affiliation(s)
- G Stöber
- 1Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Würzburg, 97080 Würzburg, Germany.
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44
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Stober G, Saar K, Ruschendorf F, Meyer J, Nurnberg G, Jatzke S, Franzek E, Reis A, Lesch K, Wienker TF, Beckmann H. Splitting Schizophrenia: Periodic Catatonia–Susceptibility Locus on Chromosome 15q15. Am J Hum Genet 2000. [DOI: 10.1086/321183] [Citation(s) in RCA: 83] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022] Open
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45
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Weiland S, Bertrand D, Leonard S. Neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors: from the gene to the disease. Behav Brain Res 2000; 113:43-56. [PMID: 10942031 DOI: 10.1016/s0166-4328(00)00199-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 85] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors are excitatory ligand-gated channels. Widely expressed throughout the peripheral and central nervous system, their properties depend upon their subunit composition. Furthermore, genetic studies have revealed a high degree of variation at the genomic level and alternative splicing of the mRNAs coding for these integral membrane proteins. In particular, genes coding for alpha4 and alpha7 subunits harbour a high degree of polymorphisms. Although well characterised at their molecular and functional level, the role of these receptors in the central nervous system remains obscure. Despite accumulating evidence for the participation of nicotinic receptors in disorders of the central nervous system including nicotinic addiction, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease and Tourette's syndrome, the exact role of these receptors is still speculative. Because most of these phenotypes are complex and genetically heterogeneous, the investigation is difficult. However, in the past few years, significant progress has been made in understanding the contribution of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors to the origin of epilepsies and schizophrenia. By concentrating on the latest results gained for these diseases, we discuss in this review the possible relationships between neuronal nicotinic receptors and neurological and psychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Weiland
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, CMU, Geneva, Switzerland
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46
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Stassen H, Bridler R, H�gele S, Hergersberg M, Mehmann B, Schinzel A, Weisbrod M, Scharfetter C. Schizophrenia and smoking: Evidence for a common neurobiological basis? ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2000. [DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1096-8628(20000403)96:2<173::aid-ajmg10>3.0.co;2-u] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
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47
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Riley BP, Makoff A, Mogudi-Carter M, Jenkins T, Williamson R, Collier D, Murray R. Haplotype transmission disequilibrium and evidence for linkage of the CHRNA7 gene region to schizophrenia in Southern African Bantu families. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF MEDICAL GENETICS 2000; 96:196-201. [PMID: 10893497 DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1096-8628(20000403)96:2<196::aid-ajmg15>3.0.co;2-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 90] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
Recent reports have strongly linked markers near the alpha-7 nicotinic cholinergic receptor subunit gene on human chromosome 15q13-q14 to a sensory gating deficit common in schizophrenics, and have shown positive though non-significant results linking this region to the primary phenotype of schizophrenia in a sample of North American families. We therefore tested for linkage between markers in this region of chromosome 15q and schizophrenia in a sample of 15 multiply affected and 5 single case families with schizophrenia drawn from the Bantu-speaking black population of South Africa. An initial replication using markers from the original study gave an affected-only LOD score maximum of 1.08 under a recessive model at Theta=0.00 for D15S1360, a dinucleotide polymorphism found on the same YAC as the alpha-7 receptor gene. Nonparametric affected-only multipoint analysis gave a Z-score of 1. 29, P=0.098, for D15S1360, and Z=1.45, p=0.075 for D15S118. We then increased the resolution of the map with an extended set of 20 markers. Again, two peaks were observed, with NPL scores of 1.81, p=0.037, at D15S1043 and 1.79 at D15S1360 and 1.80 at D15S1010, both p=0.037. Transmission disequilibrium testing of data from D15S1360 gave an allele-wise and genotype-wise chi(2) of 6.59, 2 df, p=0.037. Haplotype transmission disequilibrium testing using a restricted allele and haplotype set from D15S1043 and D15S1360 gave a global chi(2) of 10.647, 4 df, P=0.007, and a maximum chi(2) of 6.567, 1 df, P=0.004 for excess transmission of the 1.2 haplotype into affected offspring. Am. J. Med. Genet. (Neuropsychiatr. Genet.) 96:196-201, 2000.
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Affiliation(s)
- B P Riley
- Departments of Psychological Medicine and Neuroscience, Institute of Psychiatry, De Crespigny Park, London SE5 8AF, UK.
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48
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Waldo MC, Adler LE, Leonard S, Olincy A, Ross RG, Harris JG, Freedman R. Familial transmission of risk factors in the first-degree relatives of schizophrenic people. Biol Psychiatry 2000; 47:231-9. [PMID: 10682220 DOI: 10.1016/s0006-3223(99)00272-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Schizophrenia is a complex illness with multiple pathophysiologic factors that contribute to its psychopathology. One strategy to identify these factors is to observe them in isolation from each other, by characterizing their expression in the relatives of schizophrenic probands. By Mendel's second law, each genetic factor should be independently distributed in a sibship, so that each can be observed by itself, uncomplicated by the general problems of the illness. Such independently distributed phenotypes are obviously useful for genetic analyses; however, they can also be considered together, to model how various brain dysfunctions may combine to produce psychoses. In addition to a sensory gating deficit linked to the alpha 7-nicotinic acetylcholine receptor locus, schizophrenics and their families have a number of other deficits, including decreased hippocampal volume on magnetic resonance images and increased plasma levels of the dopamine metabolite homovanillic acid. Although such research is far from complete, a heuristic model combining a sensory gating deficit, decreased hippocampal neuron capacity, and increased dopaminergic neurotransmission is consonant with current understanding of the neuropsychology of schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- M C Waldo
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Denver 80262, USA
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