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Fernández-Teruel A, Oliveras I, Cañete T, Rio-Álamos C, Tapias-Espinosa C, Sampedro-Viana D, Sánchez-González A, Sanna F, Torrubia R, González-Maeso J, Driscoll P, Morón I, Torres C, Aznar S, Tobeña A, Corda MG, Giorgi O. Neurobehavioral and neurodevelopmental profiles of a heuristic genetic model of differential schizophrenia- and addiction-relevant features: The RHA vs. RLA rats. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2021; 131:597-617. [PMID: 34571119 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.09.042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2021] [Revised: 09/20/2021] [Accepted: 09/21/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
The Roman High- (RHA) and Low-(RLA) avoidance rat lines/strains were generated through bidirectional selective breeding for rapid (RHA) vs. extremely poor (RLA) two-way active avoidance acquisition. Compared with RLAs and other rat strains/stocks, RHAs are characterized by increased impulsivity, deficits in social behavior, novelty-induced hyper-locomotion, impaired attentional/cognitive abilities, vulnerability to psychostimulant sensitization and drug addiction. RHA rats also exhibit decreased function of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and hippocampus, increased functional activity of the mesolimbic dopamine system and a dramatic deficit of central metabotropic glutamate-2 (mGlu2) receptors (due to a stop codon mutation at cysteine 407 in Grm2 -cys407*-), along with increased density of 5-HT2A receptors in the PFC, alterations of several synaptic markers and increased density of pyramidal "thin" (immature) dendrític spines in the PFC. These characteristics suggest an immature brain of RHA rats, and are reminiscent of schizophrenia features like hypofrontality and disruption of the excitation/inhibition cortical balance. RHA rats represent a promising heuristic model of neurodevelopmental schizophrenia-relevant features and comorbidity with drug addiction vulnerability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alberto Fernández-Teruel
- Medical Psychology Unit, Department of Psychiatry & Forensic Medicine, Institute of Neurosciences, Autonomous University of Barcelona, 08193, Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Ignasi Oliveras
- Medical Psychology Unit, Department of Psychiatry & Forensic Medicine, Institute of Neurosciences, Autonomous University of Barcelona, 08193, Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Toni Cañete
- Medical Psychology Unit, Department of Psychiatry & Forensic Medicine, Institute of Neurosciences, Autonomous University of Barcelona, 08193, Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain
| | | | - Carles Tapias-Espinosa
- Medical Psychology Unit, Department of Psychiatry & Forensic Medicine, Institute of Neurosciences, Autonomous University of Barcelona, 08193, Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Daniel Sampedro-Viana
- Medical Psychology Unit, Department of Psychiatry & Forensic Medicine, Institute of Neurosciences, Autonomous University of Barcelona, 08193, Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Ana Sánchez-González
- Medical Psychology Unit, Department of Psychiatry & Forensic Medicine, Institute of Neurosciences, Autonomous University of Barcelona, 08193, Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Francesco Sanna
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences (DiSVA), University of Cagliari, Italy
| | - Rafael Torrubia
- Medical Psychology Unit, Department of Psychiatry & Forensic Medicine, Institute of Neurosciences, Autonomous University of Barcelona, 08193, Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Javier González-Maeso
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, Richmond, VA, USA
| | | | - Ignacio Morón
- Department of Psychobiology and Centre of Investigation of Mind, Brain, and Behaviour (CIMCYC), University of Granada, Spain
| | - Carmen Torres
- Department of Psychology, University of Jaén, 23071, Jaén, Spain.
| | - Susana Aznar
- Research Laboratory for Stereology and Neuroscience, Bispebjerg Copenhagen University Hospital, 2400, Copenhagen, Denmark.
| | - Adolf Tobeña
- Medical Psychology Unit, Department of Psychiatry & Forensic Medicine, Institute of Neurosciences, Autonomous University of Barcelona, 08193, Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Maria G Corda
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences (DiSVA), University of Cagliari, Italy.
| | - Osvaldo Giorgi
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences (DiSVA), University of Cagliari, Italy.
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2
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Tomasi J, Zai CC, Zai G, Kennedy JL, Tiwari AK. Genetics of human startle reactivity: A systematic review to acquire targets for an anxiety endophenotype. World J Biol Psychiatry 2021; 22:399-427. [PMID: 33040669 DOI: 10.1080/15622975.2020.1834619] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Startle response is an objective physiological measure integral to the human defense system and a promising target for endophenotype investigations of anxiety. Given the alterations in startle reactivity observed among anxiety and related disorders, we searched for genetic variants associated with startle reactivity as they may be further involved in pathological anxiety risk. METHODS A systematic literature review was performed to identify genetic variants associated with startle reactivity in humans, specifically baseline and fear- or anxiety-potentiated startle. RESULTS The polymorphisms Val66Met (rs6265) from brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), Val158Met (rs4680) from catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT), and the serotonin transporter-linked polymorphic region (5-HTTLPR) from the serotonin transporter gene (SLC6A4) were most commonly studied in human startle. In addition, several other genetic variants have also been identified as potential candidates that warrant further research, especially given their novelty in in the context of anxiety. CONCLUSIONS Similar to psychiatric genetic studies, the studies on startle reactivity primarily focus on candidate genes and are plagued by non-replication. Startle reactivity is a promising endophenotype that requires concerted efforts to collect uniformly assessed, large, well-powered samples and hypothesis-free genome-wide strategies. To further support startle as an endophenotype for anxiety, this review suggests advanced genetic strategies for startle research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia Tomasi
- Molecular Brain Science Department, Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), Toronto, Canada.,Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Clement C Zai
- Molecular Brain Science Department, Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), Toronto, Canada.,Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.,Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.,Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Gwyneth Zai
- Molecular Brain Science Department, Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), Toronto, Canada.,Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.,Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.,General Adult Psychiatry and Health Systems Division, CAMH, Toronto, Canada
| | - James L Kennedy
- Molecular Brain Science Department, Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), Toronto, Canada.,Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.,Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Arun K Tiwari
- Molecular Brain Science Department, Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), Toronto, Canada.,Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
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Rajasekaran A, Shivakumar V, Kalmady SV, Parlikar R, Chhabra H, Prabhu A, Subbanna M, Venugopal D, Amaresha AC, Agarwal SM, Bose A, Narayanaswamy JC, Debnath M, Venkatasubramanian G. Impact of NRG1 HapICE gene variants on digit ratio and dermatoglyphic measures in schizophrenia. Asian J Psychiatr 2020; 54:102363. [PMID: 33271685 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajp.2020.102363] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2020] [Accepted: 08/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Multiple lines of evidence have suggested a potential role of Neuregulin-1 (NRG1) in the neurodevelopmental pathogenesis of schizophrenia. Interaction between genetic risk variants present within NRG1 locus and non-specific gestational putative insults can significantly impair crucial processes of brain development. Such genetic effects can be analyzed through the assessment of digit ratio and dermatoglyphic patterns. We examined the role of two well-replicated polymorphisms of NRG1 (SNP8NRG221533 and SNP8NRG243177) on schizophrenia risk and its probable impact on the digit ratio and dermatoglyphic measures in patients (N = 221) and healthy controls (N = 200). In schizophrenia patients, but not in healthy controls, a significant association between NRG1 SNP8NRG221533 C/C genotype with lower left 2D:4D ratio, as well as with higher FA_TbcRC and DA_TbcRC. The substantial effect of SNP8NRG221533 on both digit ratio and dermatoglyphic measures suggest a potential role for NRG1 gene variants on neurodevelopmental pathogenesis of schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashwini Rajasekaran
- Translational Psychiatry Laboratory, Neurobiology Research Center, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bangalore, India; Department of Human Genetics, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bangalore, India
| | - Venkataram Shivakumar
- Translational Psychiatry Laboratory, Neurobiology Research Center, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bangalore, India; InSTAR Program, Schizophrenia Clinic, Department of Psychiatry, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bangalore, India
| | - Sunil V Kalmady
- Canadian VIGOUR Centre, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Rujuta Parlikar
- Translational Psychiatry Laboratory, Neurobiology Research Center, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bangalore, India; InSTAR Program, Schizophrenia Clinic, Department of Psychiatry, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bangalore, India
| | - Harleen Chhabra
- Translational Psychiatry Laboratory, Neurobiology Research Center, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bangalore, India; InSTAR Program, Schizophrenia Clinic, Department of Psychiatry, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bangalore, India
| | - Ananya Prabhu
- Translational Psychiatry Laboratory, Neurobiology Research Center, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bangalore, India
| | - Manjula Subbanna
- Translational Psychiatry Laboratory, Neurobiology Research Center, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bangalore, India; Department of Human Genetics, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bangalore, India
| | - Deepthi Venugopal
- Translational Psychiatry Laboratory, Neurobiology Research Center, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bangalore, India; Department of Human Genetics, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bangalore, India
| | - Anekal C Amaresha
- Translational Psychiatry Laboratory, Neurobiology Research Center, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bangalore, India
| | - Sri Mahavir Agarwal
- Translational Psychiatry Laboratory, Neurobiology Research Center, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bangalore, India; InSTAR Program, Schizophrenia Clinic, Department of Psychiatry, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bangalore, India
| | - Anushree Bose
- Translational Psychiatry Laboratory, Neurobiology Research Center, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bangalore, India; InSTAR Program, Schizophrenia Clinic, Department of Psychiatry, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bangalore, India
| | - Janardhanan C Narayanaswamy
- Translational Psychiatry Laboratory, Neurobiology Research Center, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bangalore, India; InSTAR Program, Schizophrenia Clinic, Department of Psychiatry, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bangalore, India
| | - Monojit Debnath
- Translational Psychiatry Laboratory, Neurobiology Research Center, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bangalore, India; Department of Human Genetics, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bangalore, India
| | - Ganesan Venkatasubramanian
- Translational Psychiatry Laboratory, Neurobiology Research Center, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bangalore, India; InSTAR Program, Schizophrenia Clinic, Department of Psychiatry, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bangalore, India.
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4
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Rovný R, Besterciová D, Riečanský I. Genetic Determinants of Gating Functions: Do We Get Closer to Understanding Schizophrenia Etiopathogenesis? Front Psychiatry 2020; 11:550225. [PMID: 33324248 PMCID: PMC7723973 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2020.550225] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2020] [Accepted: 10/12/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Deficits in the gating of sensory stimuli, i.e., the ability to suppress the processing of irrelevant sensory input, are considered to play an important role in the pathogenesis of several neuropsychiatric disorders, in particular schizophrenia. Gating is disrupted both in schizophrenia patients and their unaffected relatives, suggesting that gating deficit may represent a biomarker associated with a genetic liability to the disorder. To assess the strength of the evidence for the etiopathogenetic links between genetic variation, gating efficiency, and schizophrenia, we carried out a systematic review of human genetic association studies of sensory gating (suppression of the P50 component of the auditory event-related brain potential) and sensorimotor gating (prepulse inhibition of the acoustic startle response). Sixty-three full-text articles met the eligibility criteria for inclusion in the review. In total, 117 genetic variants were reported to be associated with gating functions: 33 variants for sensory gating, 80 variants for sensorimotor gating, and four variants for both sensory and sensorimotor gating. However, only five of these associations (four for prepulse inhibition-CHRNA3 rs1317286, COMT rs4680, HTR2A rs6311, and TCF4 rs9960767, and one for P50 suppression-CHRNA7 rs67158670) were consistently replicated in independent samples. Although these variants and genes were all implicated in schizophrenia in research studies, only two polymorphisms (HTR2A rs6311 and TCF4 rs9960767) were also reported to be associated with schizophrenia at a meta-analytic or genome-wide level of evidence. Thus, although gating is widely considered as an important endophenotype of schizophrenia, these findings demonstrate that evidence for a common genetic etiology of impaired gating functions and schizophrenia is yet unsatisfactory, warranting further studies in this field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rastislav Rovný
- Department of Behavioural Neuroscience, Institute of Normal and Pathological Physiology, Centre of Experimental Medicine, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Dominika Besterciová
- Department of Behavioural Neuroscience, Institute of Normal and Pathological Physiology, Centre of Experimental Medicine, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Igor Riečanský
- Department of Behavioural Neuroscience, Institute of Normal and Pathological Physiology, Centre of Experimental Medicine, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia
- Social, Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience Unit, Department of Cognition, Emotion, and Methods in Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
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5
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Levchenko A, Vyalova NM, Nurgaliev T, Pozhidaev IV, Simutkin GG, Bokhan NA, Ivanova SA. NRG1, PIP4K2A, and HTR2C as Potential Candidate Biomarker Genes for Several Clinical Subphenotypes of Depression and Bipolar Disorder. Front Genet 2020; 11:936. [PMID: 33193575 PMCID: PMC7478333 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2020.00936] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2019] [Accepted: 07/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
GSK3B, BDNF, NGF, NRG1, HTR2C, and PIP4K2A play important roles in molecular mechanisms of psychiatric disorders. GSK3B occupies a central position in these molecular mechanisms and is also modulated by psychotropic drugs. BDNF regulates a number of key aspects in neurodevelopment and synaptic plasticity. NGF exerts a trophic action and is implicated in cerebral alterations associated with psychiatric disorders. NRG1 is active in neural development, synaptic plasticity, and neurotransmission. HTR2C is another important psychopharmacological target. PIP4K2A catalyzes the phosphorylation of PI5P to form PIP2, the latter being implicated in various aspects of neuronal signal transduction. In the present study, the six genes were sequenced in a cohort of 19 patients with bipolar affective disorder, 41 patients with recurrent depressive disorder, and 55 patients with depressive episode. The study revealed a number of genetic variants associated with antidepressant treatment response, time to recurrence of episodes, and depression severity. Namely, alleles of rs35641374 and rs10508649 (NRG1 and PIP4K2A) may be prognostic biomarkers of time to recurrence of depressive and manic/mixed episodes among patients with bipolar affective disorder. Alleles of NC_000008.11:g.32614509_32614510del, rs61731109, and rs10508649 (also NRG1 and PIP4K2A) seem to be predictive biomarkers of response to pharmacological antidepressant treatment on the 28th day assessed by the HDRS-17 or CGI-I scale. In particular, the allele G of rs10508649 (PIP4K2A) may increase resistance to antidepressant treatment and be at the same time protective against recurrent manic/mixed episodes. These results support previous data indicating a biological link between resistance to antidepressant treatment and mania. Bioinformatic functional annotation of associated variants revealed possible impact for transcriptional regulation of PIP4K2A. In addition, the allele A of rs2248440 (HTR2C) may be a prognostic biomarker of depression severity. This allele decreases expression of the neighboring immune system gene IL13RA2 in the putamen according to the GTEx portal. The variant rs2248440 is near rs6318 (previously associated with depression and effects of psychotropic drugs) that is an eQTL for the same gene and tissue. Finally, the study points to several protein interactions relevant in the pathogenesis of mood disorders. Functional studies using cellular or animal models are warranted to support these results.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anastasia Levchenko
- Theodosius Dobzhansky Center for Genome Bioinformatics, Saint Petersburg State University, Saint Petersburg, Russia
| | - Natalia M Vyalova
- Tomsk National Research Medical Center, Mental Health Research Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, Tomsk, Russia
| | - Timur Nurgaliev
- Institute of Translational Biomedicine, Saint Petersburg State University, Saint Petersburg, Russia
| | - Ivan V Pozhidaev
- Tomsk National Research Medical Center, Mental Health Research Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, Tomsk, Russia
| | - German G Simutkin
- Tomsk National Research Medical Center, Mental Health Research Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, Tomsk, Russia
| | - Nikolay A Bokhan
- Tomsk National Research Medical Center, Mental Health Research Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, Tomsk, Russia.,National Research Tomsk State University, Tomsk, Russia.,Siberian State Medical University, Tomsk, Russia
| | - Svetlana A Ivanova
- Tomsk National Research Medical Center, Mental Health Research Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, Tomsk, Russia.,Siberian State Medical University, Tomsk, Russia.,National Research Tomsk Polytechnic University, Tomsk, Russia
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6
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Differential expression of synaptic markers regulated during neurodevelopment in a rat model of schizophrenia-like behavior. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2019; 95:109669. [PMID: 31228641 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2019.109669] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2019] [Revised: 05/15/2019] [Accepted: 06/11/2019] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Schizophrenia is considered a neurodevelopmental disorder. Recent reports relate synaptic alterations with disease etiology. The inbred Roman High- (RHA-I) and Low- (RLA-I) Avoidance rat strains are a congenital neurobehavioral model, with the RHA-I displaying schizophrenia-related behaviors and serotonin 2A (5-HT2A) and metabotropic glutamate 2 (mGlu2) receptor alterations in the prefrontal cortex (PFC). We performed a comprehensive characterization of the RHA-I/RLA-I rats by real-time qPCR and Western blotting for 5-HT1A, 5-HT2A, mGlu2, dopamine 1 and dopamine 2 receptors (DRD1 and DRD2), AMPA receptor subunits Gria1, Gria2 and NMDA receptor subunits Grin1, Grin2a and Grin2b, as well as pre- and post-synaptic components in PFC and hippocampus (HIP). Besides corroborating decreased mGlu2 (Grm2) expression, we found increased mRNA levels for Snap25, Synaptophysin (Syp), Homer1 and Neuregulin-1 (Nrg1) in the PFC of the RHA-I and decreased expression of Vamp1, and Snapin in the HIP. We also showed alterations in Vamp1, Grin2b, Syp, Snap25 and Nrg1 at protein levels. mRNA levels of Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) were increased in the PFC of the RHA-I rats, with no differences in the HIP, while BDNF protein levels were decreased in PFC and increased in HIP. To investigate the temporal dynamics of these synaptic markers during neurodevelopment, we made use of the open source BrainCloud™ dataset, and found that SYP, GRIN2B, NRG1, HOMER1, DRD1 and BDNF expression is upregulated in PFC during childhood and adolescence, suggesting a more immature neurobiological endophenotype in the RHA-I strain.
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7
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Nrg1 Intracellular Signaling Is Neuroprotective upon Stroke. OXIDATIVE MEDICINE AND CELLULAR LONGEVITY 2019; 2019:3930186. [PMID: 31583038 PMCID: PMC6754950 DOI: 10.1155/2019/3930186] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2019] [Revised: 06/13/2019] [Accepted: 07/29/2019] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
The schizophrenia risk gene NRG1 controls the formation of excitatory and inhibitory synapses in cortical circuits. While the expression of different NRG1 isoforms occurs during development, adult neurons primarily express the CRD-NRG1 isoform characterized by a highly conserved intracellular domain (NRG1-ICD). We and others have demonstrated that Nrg1 intracellular signaling promotes dendrite elongation and excitatory connections during neuronal development. However, the role of Nrg1 intracellular signaling in adult neurons and pathological conditions remains largely unaddressed. Here, we investigated the role of Nrg1 intracellular signaling in neuroprotection and stroke. Our bioinformatic analysis revealed the evolutionary conservation of the NRG1-ICD and a decrease in NRG1 expression with age in the human frontal cortex. Hence, we first evaluated whether Nrg1 signaling may affect pathological hallmarks in an in vitro model of neuronal senescence; however, our data failed to reveal a role for Nrg1 in the activation of the stress-related pathway p38 MAPK and DNA damage. Previous studies demonstrated that the soluble EGF domain of Nrg1 alleviated brain ischemia, a pathological process involving the generation of free radicals, reactive oxygen species (ROS), and excitotoxicity. Hence, we tested the hypothesis that Nrg1 intracellular signaling could be neuroprotective in stroke. We discovered that Nrg1 expression significantly increased neuronal survival upon oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD), an established in vitro model for stroke. Notably, the specific activation of Nrg1 intracellular signaling by expression of the Nrg1-ICD protected neurons from OGD. Additionally, time-lapse experiments confirmed that Nrg1 intracellular signaling increased the survival of neurons exposed to OGD. Finally, we investigated the relevance of Nrg1 intracellular signaling in stroke in vivo. Using viral vectors, we expressed the Nrg1-ICD in cortical neurons and subsequently challenged them by a focal hemorrhagic stroke; our data indicated that Nrg1 intracellular signaling improved neuronal survival in the infarcted area. Altogether, these data highlight Nrg1 intracellular signaling as neuroprotective upon ischemic lesion both in vitro and in vivo. Given the complexity of the neurotoxic effects of stroke and the involvement of various mechanisms, such as the generation of ROS, excitotoxicity, and inflammation, further studies are required to determine the molecular bases of the neuroprotective effect of Nrg1 intracellular signaling. In conclusion, our research highlights the stimulation of Nrg1 intracellular signaling as a promising target for cortical stroke treatment.
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Zhang Z, Cui J, Gao F, Li Y, Zhang G, Liu M, Yan R, Shen Y, Li R. Elevated cleavage of neuregulin-1 by beta-secretase 1 in plasma of schizophrenia patients. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2019; 90:161-168. [PMID: 30500411 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2018.11.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2018] [Revised: 11/23/2018] [Accepted: 11/24/2018] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Neuregulin 1 (NRG1) is a key candidate susceptibility gene for schizophrenia. It is reported that the function of NRG1 can be regulated by cleavage via the β-Secretase (BACE1), particularly during early development. While current knowledge suggested that schizophrenia might have different phenotypes, it is unknown whether BACE1-cleaved-NRG1 (BACE1-NRG1) activity is related to clinical phenotypes of schizophrenia. In the current study, we used a newly developed enzymatic assay to detect BACE1-NRG1 activity in the human plasma and investigated the levels of cleavage of NRG1 by BACE1 in the plasma from schizophrenia patients. Our results are the first to demonstrate that the level of plasma BACE1-NRG1 activity was significantly increased in subjects affected with schizophrenia compared with healthy controls. Interestingly, the elevated BACE1-NRG1 activity was correlated with the disease severity and duration of schizophrenia, such as patients suffering from shorter-term course and worse disease status expressed higher BACE1-NRG1 activity levels compared to whom with longer duration and less severity of the disease. Furthermore, this is also the first report that the alternation of BACE1-NRG1 activity was a substrate -specific event in schizophrenia. Together, our findings suggested that the plasma BACE1-NRG1 activity can be a potential biomarker for the early diagnosis of schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhengrong Zhang
- National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders & Beijing Key Laboratory of Mental Disorders, Beijing Anding Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100088, China
| | - Jie Cui
- Center for Hormone Advanced Science and Education, Roskamp Institute, Sarasota, FL 34243, USA
| | - Feng Gao
- Neurodegenerative Disorder Research Center, School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
| | - Yuhong Li
- Beijing Institute for Brain Disorders, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100069, China
| | - Guofu Zhang
- National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders & Beijing Key Laboratory of Mental Disorders, Beijing Anding Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100088, China
| | - Min Liu
- National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders & Beijing Key Laboratory of Mental Disorders, Beijing Anding Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100088, China
| | - Riqiang Yan
- Department of Neurosciences, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Farmington, CT 06269, USA
| | - Yong Shen
- Neurodegenerative Disorder Research Center, School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
| | - Rena Li
- National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders & Beijing Key Laboratory of Mental Disorders, Beijing Anding Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100088, China; Center for Hormone Advanced Science and Education, Roskamp Institute, Sarasota, FL 34243, USA; Beijing Institute for Brain Disorders, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100069, China.
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Quednow BB, Ejebe K, Wagner M, Giakoumaki SG, Bitsios P, Kumari V, Roussos P. Meta-analysis on the association between genetic polymorphisms and prepulse inhibition of the acoustic startle response. Schizophr Res 2018; 198:52-59. [PMID: 29287625 DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2017.12.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2017] [Revised: 12/13/2017] [Accepted: 12/18/2017] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
Sensorimotor gating measured by prepulse inhibition (PPI) of the acoustic startle response (ASR) has been proposed as one of the most promising electrophysiological endophenotypes of schizophrenia. During the past decade, a number of publications have reported significant associations between genetic polymorphisms and PPI in samples of schizophrenia patients and healthy volunteers. However, an overall evaluation of the robustness of these results has not been published so far. Therefore, we performed the first meta-analysis of published and unpublished associations between gene polymorphisms and PPI of ASR. Unpublished associations between genetic polymorphisms and PPI were derived from three independent samples. In total, 120 single observations from 16 independent samples with 2660 study participants and 43 polymorphisms were included. After correction for multiple testing based on false discovery rate and considering the number of analyzed polymorphisms, significant associations were shown for four variants, even though none of these associations survived a genome-wide correction (P<5∗10-8). These results imply that PPI might be modulated by four genotypes - COMT rs4680 (primarily in males), GRIK3 rs1027599, TCF4 rs9960767, and PRODH rs385440 - indicating a role of these gene variations in the development of early information processing deficits in schizophrenia. However, the overall impact of single genes on PPI is still rather small suggesting that PPI is - like the disease phenotype - highly polygenic. Future genome-wide analyses studies with large sample sizes will enhance our understanding on the genetic architecture of PPI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Boris B Quednow
- Experimental and Clinical Pharmacopsychology, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Switzerland; Neuroscience Center Zurich, University and ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
| | - Kenechi Ejebe
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, USA
| | - Michael Wagner
- Department for Neurodegenerative Diseases and GeriatricPsychiatry, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Stella G Giakoumaki
- Department of Psychology, Gallos University campus, University of Crete, Rethymno, Greece
| | - Panos Bitsios
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Voutes University campus, University of Crete, Heraklion, Greece
| | - Veena Kumari
- Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, United Kingdom
| | - Panos Roussos
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, USA; Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, USA; Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center (VISN 2), James J. Peters VA Medical Center, New York, USA.
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10
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Khan A, Powell SB. Sensorimotor gating deficits in "two-hit" models of schizophrenia risk factors. Schizophr Res 2018; 198:68-83. [PMID: 29070440 PMCID: PMC5911431 DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2017.10.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2017] [Revised: 10/03/2017] [Accepted: 10/06/2017] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Genetic and environmental models of neuropsychiatric disease have grown exponentially over the last 20years. One measure that is often used to evaluate the translational relevance of these models to human neuropsychiatric disease is prepulse inhibition of startle (PPI), an operational measure of sensorimotor gating. Deficient PPI characterizes several neuropsychiatric disorders but has been most extensively studied in schizophrenia. It has become a useful tool in translational neuropharmacological and molecular genetics studies because it can be measured across species using almost the same experimental parameters. Although initial studies of PPI in rodents were pharmacological because of the robust predictive validity of PPI for antipsychotic efficacy, more recently, PPI has become standard common behavioral measures used in genetic and neurodevelopmental models of schizophrenia. Here we review "two hit" models of schizophrenia and discuss the utility of PPI as a tool in phenotyping these models of relevant risk factors. In the review, we consider approaches to rodent models of genetic and neurodevelopmental risk factors and selectively review "two hit" models of gene×environment and environment×environment interactions in which PPI has been measured.
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Affiliation(s)
- Asma Khan
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Dr., La Jolla, CA 92093, United States; Research Service, VA San Diego Healthcare System, La Jolla, CA, United States
| | - Susan B Powell
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Dr., La Jolla, CA 92093, United States; Research Service, VA San Diego Healthcare System, La Jolla, CA, United States.
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11
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Zhang Z, Huang J, Shen Y, Li R. BACE1-Dependent Neuregulin-1 Signaling: An Implication for Schizophrenia. Front Mol Neurosci 2017; 10:302. [PMID: 28993723 PMCID: PMC5622153 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2017.00302] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2017] [Accepted: 09/07/2017] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Schizophrenia is a chronic psychiatric disorder with a lifetime prevalence of about 1% in the general population. Recent studies have shown that Neuregulin-1 (Nrg1) is a candidate gene for schizophrenia. At least 15 alternative splicing of NRG1 isoforms all contain an extracellular epidermal growth factor (EGF)-like domain, which is sufficient for Nrg1 biological activity including the formation of myelin sheaths and the regulation of synaptic plasticity. It is known that Nrg1 can be cleaved by β-secretase (BACE1) and the resulting N-terminal fragment (Nrg1-ntf) binds to receptor tyrosine kinase ErbB4, which activates Nrg1/ErbB4 signaling. While changes in Nrg1 expression levels in schizophrenia still remain controversial, understanding the BACE1-cleaved Nrg1-ntf and Nrg1/ErbB4 signaling in schizophrenia neuropathogenesis is essential and important. In this review paper, we included three major parts: (1) Nrg1 structure and cleavage pattern by BACE1; (2) BACE1-dependent Nrg1 cleavage associated with schizophrenia in human studies; and (3) Animal studies of Nrg1 and BACE1 mutations with behavioral observations. Our review will provide a better understanding of Nrg1 in schizophrenia and a potential strategy for using BACE1 cleavage of Nrg1 as a unique biomarker for diagnosis, as well as a new therapeutic target, of schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhengrong Zhang
- National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders, Beijing Key Laboratory of Mental Disorders, Beijing Anding Hospital, Capital Medical UniversityBeijing, China
| | - Jing Huang
- National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders, Beijing Key Laboratory of Mental Disorders, Beijing Anding Hospital, Capital Medical UniversityBeijing, China
| | - Yong Shen
- Neurodegenerative Disorder Research Center, School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of ChinaHefei, China.,Center for Therapeutic Strategies for Brain Disorders, Roskamp Institute, SarasotaFL, United States.,Center for Hormone Advanced Science and Education, Roskamp Institute, SarasotaFL, United States
| | - Rena Li
- National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders, Beijing Key Laboratory of Mental Disorders, Beijing Anding Hospital, Capital Medical UniversityBeijing, China.,Center for Therapeutic Strategies for Brain Disorders, Roskamp Institute, SarasotaFL, United States.,Center for Hormone Advanced Science and Education, Roskamp Institute, SarasotaFL, United States.,Beijing Institute for Brain Disorders, Capital Medical UniversityBeijing, China
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12
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Iacono WG, Malone SM, Vrieze SI. Endophenotype best practices. Int J Psychophysiol 2017; 111:115-144. [PMID: 27473600 PMCID: PMC5219856 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2016.07.516] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2016] [Revised: 07/21/2016] [Accepted: 07/24/2016] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
This review examines the current state of electrophysiological endophenotype research and recommends best practices that are based on knowledge gleaned from the last decade of molecular genetic research with complex traits. Endophenotype research is being oversold for its potential to help discover psychopathology relevant genes using the types of small samples feasible for electrophysiological research. This is largely because the genetic architecture of endophenotypes appears to be very much like that of behavioral traits and disorders: they are complex, influenced by many variants (e.g., tens of thousands) within many genes, each contributing a very small effect. Out of over 40 electrophysiological endophenotypes covered by our review, only resting heart, a measure that has received scant advocacy as an endophenotype, emerges as an electrophysiological variable with verified associations with molecular genetic variants. To move the field forward, investigations designed to discover novel variants associated with endophenotypes will need extremely large samples best obtained by forming consortia and sharing data obtained from genome wide arrays. In addition, endophenotype research can benefit from successful molecular genetic studies of psychopathology by examining the degree to which these verified psychopathology-relevant variants are also associated with an endophenotype, and by using knowledge about the functional significance of these variants to generate new endophenotypes. Even without molecular genetic associations, endophenotypes still have value in studying the development of disorders in unaffected individuals at high genetic risk, constructing animal models, and gaining insight into neural mechanisms that are relevant to clinical disorder.
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13
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Mostaid MS, Lloyd D, Liberg B, Sundram S, Pereira A, Pantelis C, Karl T, Weickert CS, Everall IP, Bousman CA. Neuregulin-1 and schizophrenia in the genome-wide association study era. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2016; 68:387-409. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2016.06.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2016] [Revised: 05/30/2016] [Accepted: 06/03/2016] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
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14
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Abstract
BACKGROUND Prepulse inhibition (PPI) of the startle reflex has been suggested as a candidate endophenotype for schizophrenia research, as it shows high heritability and has been found deficient in schizophrenia spectrum disorders. The objectives of the study were to 1) identify common genetic variants associated with baseline startle and PPI; 2) estimate the single nucleotide polymorphism heritability; and 3) examine the relationship of polygenic score for schizophrenia with baseline startle and PPI. METHODS A cohort of healthy young male subjects (n = 1493) originating from the Learning on Genetics of Schizophrenia Spectrum project was assessed for baseline startle and PPI. The most recent genome-wide association study in schizophrenia from the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium 2 was used to calculate polygenic scores. RESULTS Eleven loci showed suggestive association (p < 10(-6)) with baseline startle and PPI in the discovery cohort. Additional genotyping in a replication cohort identified genome-wide significant association at two loci (rs61810702 and rs4718984). These loci were co-localized with expression quantitative trait loci associated with gene expression of nerve growth factor (NGF) and calneuron 1 (CALN1) genes. Estimation of the genetic and environmental contributions to baseline startle and PPI showed a substantial single nucleotide polymorphism heritability for 120-ms PPI stimuli. Increased polygenic risk score for schizophrenia was associated with reduced PPI. CONCLUSIONS Common genetic variation has an important role in the etiology of schizophrenia and PPI impairments. Overall, these data support the idea that PPI is a valid endophenotype that can be used to explore the genetic architecture of schizophrenia.
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15
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Rubino T, Parolaro D. The Impact of Exposure to Cannabinoids in Adolescence: Insights From Animal Models. Biol Psychiatry 2016; 79:578-85. [PMID: 26344755 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2015.07.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 113] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2015] [Revised: 07/16/2015] [Accepted: 07/31/2015] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
The regular use of cannabis during adolescence is of particular concern because use by this age group seems to be associated with an increased likelihood of deleterious consequences, as reported by several epidemiologic studies. However, despite their unquestionable value, epidemiologic data are inconclusive. Modeling the adolescent phase in animals appears to be a useful approach to investigate the impact of cannabis use on the adolescent brain. In these models, adolescent cannabinoid exposure has been reported to cause long-term impairment in specific components of learning and memory and to have differential effects on anxiety, social behavior, and depressive-like signs. These findings suggest that it may represent, per se or in association with other hits, a risk factor for developing psychotic-like symptoms in adulthood. The neurobiological bases of this association include the induction of alterations in the maturational events of the endocannabinoid system occurring in the adolescent brain. Alterations in the endocannabinoid system may profoundly dysregulate developmental processes in some neurotransmitter systems, such as gamma-aminobutyric acid and glutamate, mainly in the cortex. The resulting picture strongly resembles the one present in schizophrenic patients, highlighting the translational value of this experimental approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tiziana Rubino
- Department of Theoretical and Applied Sciences, Biomedical Research Division, and Neuroscience Center, University of Insubria, Busto Arsizi, Italy..
| | - Daniela Parolaro
- Department of Theoretical and Applied Sciences, Biomedical Research Division, and Neuroscience Center, University of Insubria, Busto Arsizi, Italy
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16
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Rolstad S, Pålsson E, Ekman CJ, Eriksson E, Sellgren C, Landén M. Polymorphisms of dopamine pathway genes NRG1 and LMX1A are associated with cognitive performance in bipolar disorder. Bipolar Disord 2015; 17:859-68. [PMID: 26534905 DOI: 10.1111/bdi.12347] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2015] [Accepted: 09/19/2015] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES LIM homeobox transcription factor 1, alpha (LMX1A) and neuregulin 1 (NRG1) are susceptibility genes for schizophrenia that have been implicated in the dopaminergic pathway and have been associated with altered cognitive functioning. We hypothesized that single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in LMX1A and NRG1 would be associated with cognitive functioning in bipolar disorder. METHODS In total, four SNPs were directly genotyped. Regression models with five aggregated cognitive domains and intelligence quotient (IQ) score were run using risk variants of LMX1A (rs11809911, rs4657412, rs6668493) and NRG1 (rs35753505) as predictors. Models were performed in a clinical sample of patients with bipolar disorder (n = 114) and healthy controls (n = 104). RESULTS The risk variants of the rs11809911 SNP in LMX1A were negatively associated with IQ score and memory/learning, whereas the risk variants of rs35753505 in NRG1 were positively associated with IQ score (adjusted R(2) = 0.17, Q = 0.006) and memory/learning (adjusted R(2) = 0.24, Q = 0.001). The risk variants of the rs35753505 SNP in NRG1 were positively associated with language (adjusted R(2) = 0.11, Q = 0.006), visuospatial functions (adjusted R(2) = 0.23, Q = 0.001), and attention/speed (adjusted R(2) = 0.25, Q = 0.001). Results could not be replicated in controls. CONCLUSIONS The risk variants of the rs35753505 SNP were associated with increased performance in several cognitive domains and IQ, whereas the risk variants of the rs11809911 SNP in LMX1A was associated with reduced IQ and memory/learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sindre Rolstad
- Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Sahlgrenska Academy, Gothenburg University, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Erik Pålsson
- Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Sahlgrenska Academy, Gothenburg University, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Carl Johan Ekman
- Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Elias Eriksson
- Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Sahlgrenska Academy, Gothenburg University, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Carl Sellgren
- Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Mikael Landén
- Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Sahlgrenska Academy, Gothenburg University, Gothenburg, Sweden.,Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.,Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
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17
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Effects of genetic variations in NRG1 on cognitive domains in patients with schizophrenia and healthy individuals. Psychiatr Genet 2015; 25:147-54. [DOI: 10.1097/ypg.0000000000000087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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18
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Wang C, Aleksic B, Ozaki N. Glia-related genes and their contribution to schizophrenia. Psychiatry Clin Neurosci 2015; 69:448-61. [PMID: 25759284 DOI: 10.1111/pcn.12290] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/08/2015] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Schizophrenia, a debilitating disease with 1% prevalence in the general population, is characterized by major neuropsychiatric symptoms, including delusions, hallucinations, and deficits in emotional and social behavior. Previous studies have directed their investigations on the mechanism of schizophrenia towards neuronal dysfunction and have defined schizophrenia as a 'neuron-centric' disorder. However, along with the development of genetics and systematic biology approaches in recent years, the crucial role of glial cells in the brain has also been shown to contribute to the etiopathology of schizophrenia. Here, we summarize comprehensive data that support the involvement of glial cells (including oligodendrocytes, astrocytes, and microglial cells) in schizophrenia and list several acknowledged glia-related genes or molecules associated with schizophrenia. Instead of purely an abnormality of neurons in schizophrenia, an additional 'glial perspective' provides us a novel and promising insight into the causal mechanisms and treatment for this disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chenyao Wang
- Department of Psychiatry, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Branko Aleksic
- Department of Psychiatry, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Norio Ozaki
- Department of Psychiatry, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Japan
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19
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Yoo HJ, Woo RS, Cho SC, Kim BN, Kim JW, Shin MS, Park TW, Son JW, Chung US, Park S, Park M, Kim SA. Genetic association analyses of neuregulin 1 gene polymorphism with endopheontype for sociality of Korean autism spectrum disorders family. Psychiatry Res 2015; 227:366-8. [PMID: 25858800 DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2015.03.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2014] [Revised: 03/10/2015] [Accepted: 03/14/2015] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
To determine the genetic association between qualitative and quantitative traits of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and neuregulin 1 (NRG1)-a schizophrenia candidate gene-we examined six single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in NRG1 using a family-based association test (FBAT) in Korean families with ASD. rs35753505 and rs6994992 SNPs in NRG1 revealed a statistically significant family-based association with three quantitative traits for sociality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hee Jeong Yoo
- Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience, College of Medicine, Eulji University, Daejeon, Korea
| | - Ran-Sook Woo
- Department of Neuropsychiatry, Seoul National University Bungdang Hospital, Seongnam, Korea
| | - Soo-Churl Cho
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, College of Medicine, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Korea
| | - Boong-Nyun Kim
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, College of Medicine, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Korea
| | - Jae-Won Kim
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, College of Medicine, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Korea
| | - Min-Sup Shin
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, College of Medicine, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Korea
| | - Tae-Won Park
- Department of Psychiatry, Chonbuk National University Hospital, Jeonju, Korea
| | - Jung-Woo Son
- Department of Psychiatry, Chungbuk National University Hospital, Cheongju, Korea
| | - Un-Sun Chung
- Department of Psychiatry, Kyungpook National University Hospital, Daegu, Korea
| | - Subin Park
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, College of Medicine, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Korea
| | - Mira Park
- Department of Preventive Medicine, School of medicine, Eulji University, Daejeon, Korea
| | - Soon Ae Kim
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Eulji University, 771-77 Gyerhong-ro, Daejeon 301-746, Korea.
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20
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Tsang J, Fullard JF, Giakoumaki SG, Katsel P, Katsel P, Karagiorga VE, Greenwood TA, Braff DL, Siever LJ, Bitsios P, Haroutunian V, Roussos P. The relationship between dopamine receptor D1 and cognitive performance. NPJ SCHIZOPHRENIA 2015; 1:14002. [PMID: 27336024 PMCID: PMC4849437 DOI: 10.1038/npjschz.2014.2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2014] [Revised: 10/14/2014] [Accepted: 10/15/2014] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cognitive impairment cuts across traditional diagnostic boundaries and is one of the most typical symptoms in various psychiatric and neurobiological disorders. AIMS The objective of this study was to examine the genetic association between 94 candidate genes, including receptors and enzymes that participate in neurotransmission, with measures of cognition. METHODS The Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR), a global measure of cognition, and genotypes derived from a custom array of 1,536 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 94 genes were available for a large postmortem cohort of Caucasian cases with Alzheimer's disease (AD), schizophrenia and controls (n=727). A cohort of healthy young males (n=1,493) originating from the LOGOS project (Learning On Genetics Of Schizophrenia Spectrum) profiled across multiple cognitive domains was available for targeted SNP genotyping. Gene expression was quantified in the superior temporal gyrus of control samples (n=109). The regulatory effect on transcriptional activity was assessed using the luciferase reporter system. RESULTS The rs5326-A allele at the promoter region of dopamine receptor D1 (DRD1) locus was associated with: (i) poorer cognition (higher CDR) in the postmortem cohort (P=9.325×10(-4)); (ii) worse cognitive performance relevant to strategic planning in the LOGOS cohort (P=0.008); (iii) lower DRD1 gene expression in the superior temporal gyrus of controls (P=0.038); and (iv) decreased transcriptional activity in human neuroblastoma (SH-SY5Y) cells (P=0.026). CONCLUSIONS An interdisciplinary approach combining genetics with cognitive and molecular neuroscience provided a possible mechanistic link among DRD1 and alterations in cognitive performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan Tsang
- Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - John F Fullard
- Department of Psychiatry, New York, NY, USA
- Friedman Brain Institute, New York, NY, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | | - David L Braff
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, CA, USA
- VISN-22 Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center, VA San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Larry J Siever
- Department of Psychiatry, New York, NY, USA
- James J. Peters VA Medical Center, Mental Illness Research Education and Clinical Center (MIRECC), 130 West Kingsbridge Road, Bronx, NY, USA
| | - Panos Bitsios
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Crete, Heraklion, Crete, Greece
- Computational Medicine Laboratory, Institute of Computer Science at FORTH, Heraklion, Greece
| | - Vahram Haroutunian
- Department of Psychiatry, New York, NY, USA
- Friedman Brain Institute, New York, NY, USA
- James J. Peters VA Medical Center, Mental Illness Research Education and Clinical Center (MIRECC), 130 West Kingsbridge Road, Bronx, NY, USA
| | - Panos Roussos
- Department of Psychiatry, New York, NY, USA
- Friedman Brain Institute, New York, NY, USA
- James J. Peters VA Medical Center, Mental Illness Research Education and Clinical Center (MIRECC), 130 West Kingsbridge Road, Bronx, NY, USA
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, New York, NY, USA
- Institute for Genomics and Multiscale Biology, New York, NY, USA
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21
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Mighdoll MI, Tao R, Kleinman JE, Hyde TM. Myelin, myelin-related disorders, and psychosis. Schizophr Res 2015; 161:85-93. [PMID: 25449713 DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2014.09.040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 95] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2014] [Revised: 09/18/2014] [Accepted: 09/21/2014] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
The neuropathological basis of schizophrenia and related psychoses remains elusive despite intensive scientific investigation. Symptoms of psychosis have been reported in a number of conditions where normal myelin development is interrupted. The nature, location, and timing of white matter pathology seem to be key factors in the development of psychosis, especially during the critical adolescent period of association area myelination. Numerous lines of evidence implicate myelin and oligodendrocyte function as critical processes that could affect neuronal connectivity, which has been implicated as a central abnormality in schizophrenia. Phenocopies of schizophrenia with a known pathological basis involving demyelination or dysmyelination may offer insights into the biology of schizophrenia itself. This article reviews the pathological changes in white matter of patients with schizophrenia, as well as demyelinating diseases associated with psychosis. In an attempt to understand the potential role of dysmyelination in schizophrenia, we outline the evidence from a number of both clinically-based and post-mortem studies that provide evidence that OMR genes are genetically associated with increased risk for schizophrenia. To further understand the implication of white matter dysfunction and dysmyelination in schizophrenia, we examine diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), which has shown volumetric and microstructural white matter differences in patients with schizophrenia. While classical clinical-neuropathological correlations have established that disruption in myelination can produce a high fidelity phenocopy of psychosis similar to schizophrenia, the role of dysmyelination in schizophrenia remains controversial.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michelle I Mighdoll
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, 855 N. Wolfe Street, Suite 300, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA.
| | - Ran Tao
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, 855 N. Wolfe Street, Suite 300, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA.
| | - Joel E Kleinman
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, 855 N. Wolfe Street, Suite 300, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA.
| | - Thomas M Hyde
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, 855 N. Wolfe Street, Suite 300, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA; Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins Medical School, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA; Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins Medical School, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA.
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22
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Bharadwaj R, Peter CJ, Jiang Y, Roussos P, Vogel-Ciernia A, Shen EY, Mitchell AC, Mao W, Whittle C, Dincer A, Jakovcevski M, Pothula V, Rasmussen TP, Giakoumaki SG, Bitsios P, Sherif A, Gardner PD, Ernst P, Ghose S, Sklar P, Haroutunian V, Tamminga C, Myers RH, Futai K, Wood MA, Akbarian S. Conserved higher-order chromatin regulates NMDA receptor gene expression and cognition. Neuron 2014; 84:997-1008. [PMID: 25467983 PMCID: PMC4258154 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2014.10.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/14/2014] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Three-dimensional chromosomal conformations regulate transcription by moving enhancers and regulatory elements into spatial proximity with target genes. Here we describe activity-regulated long-range loopings bypassing up to 0.5 Mb of linear genome to modulate NMDA glutamate receptor GRIN2B expression in human and mouse prefrontal cortex. Distal intronic and 3' intergenic loop formations competed with repressor elements to access promoter-proximal sequences, and facilitated expression via a "cargo" of AP-1 and NRF-1 transcription factors and TALE-based transcriptional activators. Neuronal deletion or overexpression of Kmt2a/Mll1 H3K4- and Kmt1e/Setdb1 H3K9-methyltransferase was associated with higher-order chromatin changes at distal regulatory Grin2b sequences and impairments in working memory. Genetic polymorphisms and isogenic deletions of loop-bound sequences conferred liability for cognitive performance and decreased GRIN2B expression. Dynamic regulation of chromosomal conformations emerges as a novel layer for transcriptional mechanisms impacting neuronal signaling and cognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rahul Bharadwaj
- Friedman Brain Institute and Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Cyril J Peter
- Friedman Brain Institute and Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Yan Jiang
- Friedman Brain Institute and Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Panos Roussos
- Friedman Brain Institute and Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA; Institute for Multiscale Biology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA; James J. Peters Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Bronx, New York, NY 10468, USA
| | - Annie Vogel-Ciernia
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, University of California at Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
| | - Erica Y Shen
- Friedman Brain Institute and Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Amanda C Mitchell
- Friedman Brain Institute and Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Wenjie Mao
- Brudnick Neuropsychiatric Research Institute, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01604, USA
| | - Catheryne Whittle
- Brudnick Neuropsychiatric Research Institute, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01604, USA
| | - Aslihan Dincer
- Friedman Brain Institute and Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | | | - Venu Pothula
- Friedman Brain Institute and Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Theodore P Rasmussen
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and U.Conn Stem Cell Institute, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269, USA
| | - Stella G Giakoumaki
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Crete, 71003 Iraklion, Greece; Department of Psychology, University of Crete, 71003 Iraklion, Greece
| | - Panos Bitsios
- Computational Medicine Laboratory, Institute of Computer Science, Foundation for Research and Technology Hellas, 71003 Iraklion, Greece; Department of Psychiatry, University of Crete, 71003 Iraklion, Greece
| | - Ajfar Sherif
- Friedman Brain Institute and Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Paul D Gardner
- Brudnick Neuropsychiatric Research Institute, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01604, USA
| | - Patricia Ernst
- Department of Genetics and Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Norris Cotton Cancer Center, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH 03755, USA
| | - Subroto Ghose
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Pamela Sklar
- Friedman Brain Institute and Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA; Institute for Multiscale Biology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Vahram Haroutunian
- Friedman Brain Institute and Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA; James J. Peters Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Bronx, New York, NY 10468, USA
| | - Carol Tamminga
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Richard H Myers
- Department of Neurology, Boston University, Boston, MA 02118, USA
| | - Kensuke Futai
- Brudnick Neuropsychiatric Research Institute, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01604, USA
| | - Marcelo A Wood
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, University of California at Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
| | - Schahram Akbarian
- Friedman Brain Institute and Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA.
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Chohan TW, Boucher AA, Spencer JR, Kassem MS, Hamdi AA, Karl T, Fok SY, Bennett MR, Arnold JC. Partial genetic deletion of neuregulin 1 modulates the effects of stress on sensorimotor gating, dendritic morphology, and HPA axis activity in adolescent mice. Schizophr Bull 2014; 40:1272-84. [PMID: 24442851 PMCID: PMC4193694 DOI: 10.1093/schbul/sbt193] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Stress has been linked to the pathogenesis of schizophrenia. Genetic variation in neuregulin 1 (NRG1) increases the risk of developing schizophrenia and may help predict which high-risk individuals will transition to psychosis. NRG1 also modulates sensorimotor gating, a schizophrenia endophenotype. We used an animal model to demonstrate that partial genetic deletion of Nrg1 interacts with stress to promote neurobehavioral deficits of relevance to schizophrenia. Nrg1 heterozygous (HET) mice displayed greater acute stress-induced anxiety-related behavior than wild-type (WT) mice. Repeated stress in adolescence disrupted the normal development of higher prepulse inhibition of startle selectively in Nrg1 HET mice but not in WT mice. Further, repeated stress increased dendritic spine density in pyramidal neurons of the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) selectively in Nrg1 HET mice. Partial genetic deletion of Nrg1 also modulated the adaptive response of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis to repeated stress, with Nrg1 HET displaying a reduced repeated stress-induced level of plasma corticosterone than WT mice. Our results demonstrate that Nrg1 confers vulnerability to repeated stress-induced sensorimotor gating deficits, dendritic spine growth in the mPFC, and an abberant endocrine response in adolescence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tariq W. Chohan
- The Brain and Mind Research Institute, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia;,Discipline of Pharmacology, School of Medical Science, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
| | - Aurelie A. Boucher
- The Brain and Mind Research Institute, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
| | - Jarrah R. Spencer
- The Brain and Mind Research Institute, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia;,Discipline of Pharmacology, School of Medical Science, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
| | - Mustafa S. Kassem
- The Brain and Mind Research Institute, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
| | - Areeg A. Hamdi
- Discipline of Pharmacology, School of Medical Science, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
| | - Tim Karl
- Neuroscience Research Australia, Randwick, NSW 2031, Australia
| | - Sandra Y. Fok
- The Brain and Mind Research Institute, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
| | - Maxwell R. Bennett
- The Brain and Mind Research Institute, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
| | - Jonathon C. Arnold
- The Brain and Mind Research Institute, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia;,Discipline of Pharmacology, School of Medical Science, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia;,*To whom correspondence should be addressed; The Brain and Mind Research Institute, University of Sydney, 94-100 Mallett Street, Sydney, Australia; tel: +61-2-9351-0812, e-mail:
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24
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Mei L, Nave KA. Neuregulin-ERBB signaling in the nervous system and neuropsychiatric diseases. Neuron 2014; 83:27-49. [PMID: 24991953 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2014.06.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 409] [Impact Index Per Article: 40.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Neuregulins (NRGs) comprise a large family of growth factors that stimulate ERBB receptor tyrosine kinases. NRGs and their receptors, ERBBs, have been identified as susceptibility genes for diseases such as schizophrenia (SZ) and bipolar disorder. Recent studies have revealed complex Nrg/Erbb signaling networks that regulate the assembly of neural circuitry, myelination, neurotransmission, and synaptic plasticity. Evidence indicates there is an optimal level of NRG/ERBB signaling in the brain and deviation from it impairs brain functions. NRGs/ERBBs and downstream signaling pathways may provide therapeutic targets for specific neuropsychiatric symptoms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lin Mei
- Department of Neuroscience and Regenerative Medicine, Medical College of Georgia, Georgia Regents University, Augusta, GA 30912, USA; Department of Neurology, Medical College of Georgia, Georgia Regents University, Augusta, GA 30912, USA; Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center, Augusta, GA 30904, USA.
| | - Klaus-Armin Nave
- Department of Neurogenetics, Max Planck Institute of Experimental Medicine, 37075 Goettingen, Germany.
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25
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Paterson C, Wang Y, Kleinman JE, Law AJ. Effects of schizophrenia risk variation in the NRG1 gene on NRG1-IV splicing during fetal and early postnatal human neocortical development. Am J Psychiatry 2014; 171:979-89. [PMID: 24935406 PMCID: PMC4330971 DOI: 10.1176/appi.ajp.2014.13111518] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Neuregulin 1 (NRG1) is a multifunctional neurotrophin that mediates neurodevelopment and schizophrenia risk. The NRG1 gene undergoes extensive alternative splicing, and association of brain NRG1 type IV isoform expression with the schizophrenia-risk polymorphism rs6994992 is a potential mechanism of risk. Novel splice variants of NRG1-IV (NRG1-IVNV), with predicted unique signaling capabilities, have been cloned in fetal brain tissue. The authors investigated the temporal dynamics of transcription of NRG1-IVNV, compared with the major NRG1 isoforms, across human prenatal and postnatal prefrontal cortical development, and they examined the association of rs6994992 with NRG1-IVNV expression. METHOD NRG1 type I-IV and NRG1-IVNV isoforms were evaluated with quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction in human postmortem prefrontal cortex tissue samples at 14 to 39 weeks gestation and postnatal ages 0-83 years. The association of rs6994992 genotype with NRG1-IVNV expression and the subcellular distribution and proteolytic processing of NRG1-IVNV isoforms were also determined. RESULTS Expression of NRG1 types I, II, and III was temporally regulated during prenatal and postnatal neocortical development. NRG1-IVNV was expressed from 16 weeks gestation until age 3. Homozygosity for the schizophrenia risk allele (T) of rs6994992 conferred lower cortical NRG1-IVNV levels. Assays showed that NRG1-IVNV is a novel nuclear-enriched, truncated NRG1 protein resistant to proteolytic processing. CONCLUSIONS To the authors' knowledge, this study provides the first quantitative map of NRG1 isoform expression during human neocortical development and aging. It identifies a potential mechanism of early developmental risk for schizophrenia at the NRG1 locus, involving a novel class of NRG1 proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clare Paterson
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Colorado, School of Medicine, Aurora, CO 80045, USA,Clinical Brain Disorders Branch, Genes, Cognition and Psychosis Program, Intramural Research Program, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892-1385, USA
| | - Yanhong Wang
- Clinical Brain Disorders Branch, Genes, Cognition and Psychosis Program, Intramural Research Program, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892-1385, USA,Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Johns Hopkins University Medical Campus, 855 N Wolfe Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21205
| | - Joel E. Kleinman
- Clinical Brain Disorders Branch, Genes, Cognition and Psychosis Program, Intramural Research Program, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892-1385, USA,Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Johns Hopkins University Medical Campus, 855 N Wolfe Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21205
| | - Amanda J. Law
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Colorado, School of Medicine, Aurora, CO 80045, USA,Clinical Brain Disorders Branch, Genes, Cognition and Psychosis Program, Intramural Research Program, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892-1385, USA,Corresponding author:
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26
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Koiliari E, Roussos P, Pasparakis E, Lencz T, Malhotra A, Siever LJ, Giakoumaki SG, Bitsios P. The CSMD1 genome-wide associated schizophrenia risk variant rs10503253 affects general cognitive ability and executive function in healthy males. Schizophr Res 2014; 154:42-7. [PMID: 24630139 DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2014.02.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2013] [Revised: 01/24/2014] [Accepted: 02/17/2014] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs10503253, located within the CUB and Sushi multiple domains-1 (CSMD1) gene on 8p23.2, has reached genome-wide support as a risk factor for schizophrenia. There is initial but inconclusive evidence for a role of this variant in aspects of cognition. METHODS We investigated the neurocognitive effects of the CSMD1 rs10503253 (C/A) polymorphism in a large, demographically homogeneous sample of young, healthy Greek Caucasian males (n=1149) phenotyped for a wide range of neuropsychological measures, most of which have been shown to be reliable endophenotypes for schizophrenia. RESULTS The risk 'A' allele was associated with poorer performance on measures of general cognitive ability, strategy formation, spatial and visual working memory, set shifting, target detection and planning for problem solving but not for emotional decision making. Most of these effects were dependent on risk "A" allele dose, with AA and CC homozygotes being the worse and the best respectively, while CA individuals were intermediate. Potential genotype effects in Stroop and verbal memory performance were also suggested by our dataset. DISCUSSION These results underline the relevance of the risk "A" allele to neurocognitive functioning and suggest that its detrimental effects on cognition, may be part of the mechanism by which the CSMD1 mediates risk for schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erasmia Koiliari
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Crete, Heraklion, Crete, Greece
| | - Panos Roussos
- Department of Psychiatry, Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA; Department of Genetics and Genomic Science, Institute for Multiscale Biology, Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA; Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center (VISN 3), James J. Peters VA Medical Center, Bronx, NY, USA
| | - Emmanouil Pasparakis
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Crete, Heraklion, Crete, Greece
| | - Todd Lencz
- Division of Psychiatry Research, The Zucker Hillside Hospital, Glen Oaks, NY, USA; Feinstein Institute for Medical Research, Manhasset, NY, USA
| | - Anil Malhotra
- Division of Psychiatry Research, The Zucker Hillside Hospital, Glen Oaks, NY, USA; Feinstein Institute for Medical Research, Manhasset, NY, USA
| | - Larry J Siever
- Department of Psychiatry, Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA; Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center (VISN 3), James J. Peters VA Medical Center, Bronx, NY, USA
| | | | - Panos Bitsios
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Crete, Heraklion, Crete, Greece.
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27
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Roussos P, Haroutunian V. Schizophrenia: susceptibility genes and oligodendroglial and myelin related abnormalities. Front Cell Neurosci 2014; 8:5. [PMID: 24478629 PMCID: PMC3896818 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2014.00005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2013] [Accepted: 01/06/2014] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Given that the genetic risk for schizophrenia is highly polygenic and the effect sizes, even for rare or de novo events, are modest at best, it has been suggested that multiple biological pathways are likely to be involved in the etiopathogenesis of the disease. Most efforts in understanding the cellular basis of schizophrenia have followed a “neuron-centric” approach, focusing on alterations in neurotransmitter systems and synapse cytoarchitecture. However, multiple lines of evidence coming from genetics and systems biology approaches suggest that apart from neurons, oligodendrocytes and potentially other glia are affected from schizophrenia risk loci. Neurobiological abnormalities linked with genetic association signal could identify abnormalities that are more likely to be primary, versus environmentally induced changes or downstream events. Here, we summarize genetic data that support the involvement of oligodendrocytes in schizophrenia, providing additional evidence for a causal role with the disease. Given the undeniable evidence of both neuronal and glial abnormalities in schizophrenia, we propose a neuro-glial model that invokes abnormalities at the node of Ranvier as a functional unit in the etiopathogenesis of the disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Panos Roussos
- Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center (VISN 3), James J. Peters VA Medical Center Bronx, NY, USA ; Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai New York, NY, USA ; Department of Genetics and Genomic Science and Institute for Multiscale Biology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai New York, NY, USA
| | - Vahram Haroutunian
- Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center (VISN 3), James J. Peters VA Medical Center Bronx, NY, USA ; Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai New York, NY, USA ; Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai New York, NY, USA
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28
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Díez A, Cieza-Borrella C, Suazo V, González-Sarmiento R, Papiol S, Molina V. Cognitive outcome and gamma noise power unrelated to neuregulin 1 and 3 variation in schizophrenia. Ann Gen Psychiatry 2014; 13:18. [PMID: 24976857 PMCID: PMC4065086 DOI: 10.1186/1744-859x-13-18] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2013] [Accepted: 05/29/2014] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Neuregulins are a family of signalling proteins that orchestrate a broad range of cellular responses. Four genes encoding Neuregulins 1-4 have been identified so far in vertebrates. Among them, Neuregulin 1 and Neuregulin 3 have been reported to contribute to an increased risk for developing schizophrenia. We hypothesized that three specific variants of these genes (rs6994992 and rs3924999 for Neuregulin 1 and rs10748842 for Neuregulin 3) that have been related to this illness may modify information processing capacity in the cortex, which would be reflected in electrophysiological parameters (P3b amplitude or gamma noise power) and/or cognitive performance. METHODS We obtained DNA from 31 patients with schizophrenia and 23 healthy controls and analyzed NRG1 rs6994992, NRG1 rs3924999 and NRG3 rs10748842 promoter polymorphisms by allelic discrimination with real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). We compared cognitive outcome, P300 amplitude parameters and an electroencephalographic measure of noise power in the gamma band between the groups dichotomized according to genotype. RESULTS Contrary to our hypothesis, we could not detect any significant influence of variation in Neuregulin 1/Neuregulin 3 polymorphisms on cognitive performance or electrophysiological parameters of patients with schizophrenia. CONCLUSIONS Despite our findings, we cannot discard that other genetic variants and, more likely, interactions between those variants and with genetic variation related to different pathways may still influence cerebral processing in schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alvaro Díez
- Division of Psychiatry, Faculty of Brain Sciences, University College London, London W1W 7EJ, UK
| | - Clara Cieza-Borrella
- Institute of Biomedical Research of Salamanca (IBSAL), Salamanca 37007, Spain ; Molecular Medicine Unit, Department of Medicine and Institute of Molecular and Cellular Cancer Biology (IBMCC), University of Salamanca & CSIC, Salamanca 37007, Spain
| | - Vanessa Suazo
- Institute of Biomedical Research of Salamanca (IBSAL), Salamanca 37007, Spain ; Neuroscience Institute of Castilla y León (INCYL), University of Salamanca, Salamanca 37007, Spain
| | - Rogelio González-Sarmiento
- Institute of Biomedical Research of Salamanca (IBSAL), Salamanca 37007, Spain ; Molecular Medicine Unit, Department of Medicine and Institute of Molecular and Cellular Cancer Biology (IBMCC), University of Salamanca & CSIC, Salamanca 37007, Spain
| | - Sergi Papiol
- Anthropology Unit, Animal Biology Department, University of Barcelona, Barcelona 08028, Spain ; Clinical Neuroscience Section, Max Planck Institute of Experimental Medicine, Göttingen 37075, Germany
| | - Vicente Molina
- Institute of Biomedical Research of Salamanca (IBSAL), Salamanca 37007, Spain ; Neuroscience Institute of Castilla y León (INCYL), University of Salamanca, Salamanca 37007, Spain ; Psychiatry Department, School of Medicine, University of Valladolid, Valladolid 47005, Spain ; Psychiatry Service, University Hospital of Valladolid, Avenida Ramón y Cajal, 7, Valladolid 47005, Spain
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29
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Cognitive and personality analysis of startle reactivity in a large cohort of healthy males. Biol Psychol 2013; 94:582-91. [DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2013.09.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2013] [Revised: 08/14/2013] [Accepted: 09/08/2013] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
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30
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Hoffman KL. Role of murine models in psychiatric illness drug discovery: a dimensional view. Expert Opin Drug Discov 2013; 8:865-77. [DOI: 10.1517/17460441.2013.797959] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
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31
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Deng C, Pan B, Engel M, Huang XF. Neuregulin-1 signalling and antipsychotic treatment: potential therapeutic targets in a schizophrenia candidate signalling pathway. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2013; 226:201-15. [PMID: 23389757 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-013-3003-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2012] [Accepted: 01/22/2013] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Identifying the signalling pathways underlying the pathophysiology of schizophrenia is an essential step in the rational development of new antipsychotic drugs for this devastating disease. Evidence from genetic, transgenic and post-mortem studies have strongly supported neuregulin-1 (NRG1)-ErbB4 signalling as a schizophrenia susceptibility pathway. NRG1-ErbB4 signalling plays crucial roles in regulating neurodevelopment and neurotransmission, with implications for the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. Post-mortem studies have demonstrated altered NRG1-ErbB4 signalling in the brain of schizophrenia patients. Antipsychotic drugs have different effects on NRG1-ErbB4 signalling depending on treatment duration. Abnormal behaviours relevant to certain features of schizophrenia are displayed in NRG1/ErbB4 knockout mice or those with NRG1/ErbB4 over-expression, some of these abnormalities can be improved by antipsychotic treatment. NRG1-ErbB4 signalling has extensive interactions with the GABAergic, glutamatergic and dopaminergic neurotransmission systems that are involved in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. These interactions provide a number of targets for the development of new antipsychotic drugs. Furthermore, the key interaction points between NRG1-ErbB4 signalling and other schizophrenia susceptibility genes may also potentially provide specific targets for new antipsychotic drugs. In general, identification of these targets in NRG1-ErbB4 signalling and interacting pathways will provide unique opportunities for the development of new generation antipsychotics with specific efficacy and fewer side effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chao Deng
- Antipsychotic Research Laboratory, Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, University of Wollongong, Wollongong 2522 NSW, Australia.
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33
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Spencer JR, Darbyshire KME, Boucher AA, Kashem MA, Long LE, McGregor IS, Karl T, Arnold JC. Novel molecular changes induced by Nrg1 hypomorphism and Nrg1-cannabinoid interaction in adolescence: a hippocampal proteomic study in mice. Front Cell Neurosci 2013; 7:15. [PMID: 23447498 PMCID: PMC3581856 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2013.00015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2012] [Accepted: 02/06/2013] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Neuregulin 1 (NRG1) is linked to an increased risk of developing schizophrenia and cannabis dependence. Mice that are hypomorphic for Nrg1 (Nrg1 HET mice) display schizophrenia-relevant behavioral phenotypes and aberrant expression of serotonin and glutamate receptors. Nrg1 HET mice also display idiosyncratic responses to the main psychoactive constituent of cannabis, Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). To gain traction on the molecular pathways disrupted by Nrg1 hypomorphism and Nrg1-cannabinoid interactions we conducted a proteomic study. Adolescent wildtype (WT) and Nrg1 HET mice were exposed to repeated injections of vehicle or THC and their hippocampi were submitted to 2D gel proteomics. Comparison of WT and Nrg1 HET mice identified proteins linked to molecular changes in schizophrenia that have not been previously associated with Nrg1. These proteins are involved in vesicular release of neurotransmitters such as SNARE proteins; enzymes impacting serotonergic neurotransmission, and proteins affecting growth factor expression. Nrg1 HET mice treated with THC expressed a distinct protein expression signature compared to WT mice. Replicating prior findings, THC caused proteomic changes in WT mice suggestive of greater oxidative stress and neurodegeneration. We have previously observed that THC selectively increased hippocampal NMDA receptor binding of adolescent Nrg1 HET mice. Here we observed outcomes consistent with heightened NMDA-mediated glutamatergic neurotransmission. This included differential expression of proteins involved in NMDA receptor trafficking to the synaptic membrane; lipid raft stabilization of synaptic NMDA receptors; and homeostatic responses to dampen excitotoxicity. These findings uncover novel proteins altered in response to Nrg1 hypomorphism and Nrg1-cannabinoid interactions that improves our molecular understanding of Nrg1 signaling and Nrg1-mediated genetic vulnerability to the neurobehavioral effects of cannabinoids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jarrah R Spencer
- Discipline of Pharmacology, University of Sydney Sydney, NSW, Australia ; Brain and Mind Research Institute, University of Sydney Sydney, NSW, Australia
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Roussos P, Katsel P, Davis KL, Giakoumaki SG, Siever LJ, Bitsios P, Haroutunian V. Convergent findings for abnormalities of the NF-κB signaling pathway in schizophrenia. Neuropsychopharmacology 2013; 38:533-9. [PMID: 23132271 PMCID: PMC3547205 DOI: 10.1038/npp.2012.215] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2012] [Revised: 10/03/2012] [Accepted: 10/04/2012] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Neurons exhibit a constitutive level of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) signaling and this pathway plays a significant role in neurite outgrowth, activity-dependent plasticity, and cognitive function. Transcription factor analysis was performed in a microarray data set profiled in four different brain regions (n=54 comparison group; n=53 schizophrenia (SZ)). An independent postmortem cohort was used for gene expression (n=24 comparison group; n=22 SZ), protein abundance (n=8 comparison group; n=8 SZ), and NF-κB nuclear activity (n=10 comparison group; n=10 SZ) quantification. Expression quantitative trait locus analysis was performed using publicly available data. Prepulse inhibition (PPI) of the acoustic startle reflex was tested in healthy individuals (n=690). Comparison of microarray data showed that NF-κB was among the transcription factors associated with the differential expression of genes in cases vs controls. NF-κB gene and protein levels and nuclear activation were significantly decreased in the superior temporal gyrus of patients with SZ. Upstream NF-κB genes related to translocation were significantly dysregulated in SZ. The gene expression levels of an NF-κB-associated importin (KPNA4: one of the proteins responsible for the translocation of NF-κB to the nucleus) was decreased in SZ and an SNP within the KPNA4 locus was associated with susceptibility to SZ, reduced KPNA4 expression levels and attenuated PPI of the startle reflex in healthy control subjects. These findings implicate abnormalities of the NF-κB signaling pathway in SZ and provide evidence for an additional possible mechanism affecting the translocation of NF-κB signaling to the nucleus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Panos Roussos
- Department of Psychiatry, The Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
- JJ Peters VA Medical Center, Bronx, NY, USA
| | - Pavel Katsel
- Department of Psychiatry, The Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Kenneth L Davis
- Department of Psychiatry, The Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Stella G Giakoumaki
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Crete, Heraklion, Crete, Greece
- Department of Psychology, University of Crete, Rethymno, Greece
| | - Larry J Siever
- Department of Psychiatry, The Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
- JJ Peters VA Medical Center, Bronx, NY, USA
| | - Panos Bitsios
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Crete, Heraklion, Crete, Greece
| | - Vahram Haroutunian
- Department of Psychiatry, The Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
- JJ Peters VA Medical Center, Bronx, NY, USA
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Adolescent neuregulin 1 heterozygous mice display enhanced behavioural sensitivity to methamphetamine. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2012; 39:376-81. [PMID: 22850204 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2012.07.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2012] [Revised: 07/23/2012] [Accepted: 07/23/2012] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Methamphetamine use triggers psychosis in genetically vulnerable individuals, however the exact nature of this genetic predisposition requires elucidation. In addition, adolescence may be a particular period of neurodevelopmental vulnerability to the actions of methamphetamine; interestingly, this period coincides with a higher likelihood of onset of schizophrenia and drug experimentation. In the current study we investigated whether adolescent mice heterozygous for the schizophrenia susceptibility gene neuregulin 1 (Nrg1 HET mice) exhibit altered behavioural responses to methamphetamine (0.6 or 2.4mg/kg) in schizophrenia-relevant paradigms. The responses measured were locomotor activity in the open field test and sensorimotor gating function in the prepulse inhibition of startle paradigm (PPI). Adolescent Nrg1 HET mice displayed a subtle, transient, novelty-induced baseline locomotor hyperactivity over days, and a selective PPI deficit at the prepulse intensity-interstimulus interval (ISI) combination of 82dB-64ms. Adolescent Nrg1 HET mice were more sensitive to the locomotor stimulatory effects of an acute, low-dose of methamphetamine (0.6mg/kg) relative to wild-type (WT) controls. The augmented response to acute methamphetamine observed in Nrg1 HET mice disappeared with repeated, daily dosing over 7days. Methamphetamine did not affect average PPI (total or across different prepulse intensities), however 0.6mg/kg methamphetamine triggered a PPI deficit selectively in Nrg1 HET mice but not WT mice at 82dB-256ms. Our results show that locomotor hyperactivity in Nrg1 HET mice, albeit subtle, can manifest much earlier than previously reported and that Nrg1 may confer vulnerability to the acute actions of methamphetamine, a drug known to trigger psychotic reactions in humans.
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36
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de Koning MB, Boot E, Bloemen OJN, van Duin EDA, Abel KM, de Haan L, Linszen DH, van Amelsvoort TAMJ. Startle reactivity and prepulse inhibition of the acoustic startle response are modulated by catechol-O-methyl-transferase Val(158) Met polymorphism in adults with 22q11 deletion syndrome. J Psychopharmacol 2012; 26:1548-60. [PMID: 22952320 DOI: 10.1177/0269881112456610] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
22q11 deletion syndrome (22q11DS) is a genetic disorder caused by a microdeletion on chromosome 22, which includes the gene coding for catechol-O-methyl-transferase (COMT). High dopamine (DA) levels due to COMT haplo-insufficiency may be associated with the increased risk of developing schizophrenia in adults with 22q11DS. Reduced prepulse inhibition (PPI) of the acoustic startle response has been associated with schizophrenia and with disrupted DAergic transmission in the prefrontal cortex (PFC). COMT Val(158)Met polymorphism has been shown to influence PPI. We report the first study in adults with 22q11DS to examine PPI of the acoustic startle response and its modulation by COMT Val(158)Met polymorphism. Startle reactivity (SR) and PPI of the acoustic startle response were measured in 23 adults with 22q11DS and 21 healthy controls. 22q11DS subjects were genotyped for the functional COMT Val(158)Met polymorphism. 22q11DS Met hemizygotes showed reduced SR and PPI compared with 22q11DS Val hemizygotes. The effect of COMT Val(158)Met polymorphism on PPI was no longer significant when controlling for baseline SR. Met hemizygosity in 22q11DS is associated with reduced SR and influences PPI indirectly. Decreased PFC functioning following excessive PFC DA levels may be one of the mechanisms by which the Met genotype in 22q11DS disrupts SR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariken B de Koning
- Department of Psychiatry, Academic Medical Centre, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
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Giakoumaki SG, Roussos P, Zouraraki C, Spanoudakis E, Mavrikaki M, Tsapakis EM, Bitsios P. Sub-optimal parenting is associated with schizotypic and anxiety personality traits in adulthood. Eur Psychiatry 2012; 28:254-60. [PMID: 23062835 DOI: 10.1016/j.eurpsy.2012.07.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2012] [Revised: 06/22/2012] [Accepted: 07/06/2012] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Part of the variation in personality characteristics has been attributed to the child-parent interaction and sub-optimal parenting has been associated with psychiatric morbidity. In the present study, an extensive battery of personality scales (Trait Anxiety Inventory, Behavioural Inhibition/Activation System questionnaire, Eysenck Personality Questionnaire-Revised, Temperament and Character Inventory, Schizotypal Traits Questionnaire, Toronto Alexithymia Scale) and the Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI) were administered in 324 adult healthy males to elucidate the effects of parenting on personality configuration. Personality variables were analysed using Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and the factors "Schizotypy", "Anxiety", "Behavioural activation", "Novelty seeking" and "Reward dependence" were extracted. Associations between personality factors with PBI "care" and "overprotection" scores were examined with regression analyses. Subjects were divided into "parental style" groups and personality factors were subjected to categorical analyses. "Schizotypy" and "Anxiety" were significantly predicted by high maternal overprotection and low paternal care. In addition, the Affectionless control group (low care/high overprotection) had higher "Schizotypy" and "Anxiety" compared with the Optimal Parenting group (high care/low overprotection). These results further validate sub-optimal parenting as an important environmental exposure and extend our understanding on the mechanisms by which it increases risk for psychiatric morbidity.
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Affiliation(s)
- S G Giakoumaki
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Crete, Rethymno, Crete, Greece.
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Phenotypic effects of repeated psychosocial stress during adolescence in mice mutant for the schizophrenia risk gene neuregulin-1: a putative model of gene × environment interaction. Brain Behav Immun 2012; 26:660-71. [PMID: 22426432 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbi.2012.02.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2012] [Revised: 02/20/2012] [Accepted: 02/29/2012] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
There is a paucity of animal models by which the contributions of environmental and genetic factors to the pathobiology of psychosis can be investigated. This study examined the individual and combined effects of chronic social stress during adolescence and deletion of the schizophrenia risk gene neuregulin-1 (NRG1) on adult mouse phenotype. Mice were exposed to repeated social defeat stress during adolescence and assessed for exploratory behaviour, working memory, sucrose preference, social behaviour and prepulse inhibition in adulthood. Thereafter, in vitro cytokine responses to mitogen stimulation and corticosterone inhibition were assayed in spleen cells, with measurement of cytokine and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) mRNA in frontal cortex, hippocampus and striatum. NRG1 mutants exhibited hyperactivity, decreased anxiety, impaired sensorimotor gating and reduced preference for social novelty. The effects of stress on exploratory/anxiety-related parameters, spatial working memory, sucrose preference and basal cytokine levels were modified by NRG1 deletion. Stress also exerted varied effect on spleen cytokine response to concanavalin A and brain cytokine and BDNF mRNA expression in NRG1 mutants. The experience of psychosocial stress during adolescence may trigger further pathobiological features that contribute to the development of schizophrenia, particularly in those with underlying NRG1 gene abnormalities. This model elaborates the importance of gene × environment interactions in the etiology of schizophrenia.
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Schizophrenia risk polymorphisms in the TCF4 gene interact with smoking in the modulation of auditory sensory gating. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2012; 109:6271-6. [PMID: 22451930 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1118051109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Several polymorphisms of the transcription factor 4 (TCF4) have been shown to increase the risk for schizophrenia, particularly TCF4 rs9960767. This polymorphism is associated with impaired sensorimotor gating measured by prepulse inhibition--an established endophenotype of schizophrenia. We therefore investigated whether TCF4 polymorphisms also affect another proposed endophenotype of schizophrenia, namely sensory gating assessed by P50 suppression of the auditory evoked potential. Although sensorimotor gating and sensory gating are not identical, recent data suggest that they share genetic fundamentals. In a multicenter study at six academic institutions throughout Germany, we applied an auditory P50 suppression paradigm to 1,821 subjects (1,023 never-smokers, 798 smokers) randomly selected from the general population. Samples were genotyped for 21 TCF4 polymorphisms. Given that smoking is highly prevalent in schizophrenia and affects sensory gating, we also assessed smoking behavior, cotinine plasma concentrations, exhaled carbon monoxide, and the Fagerström Test (FTND). P50 suppression was significantly decreased in carriers of schizophrenia risk alleles of the TCF4 polymorphisms rs9960767, rs10401120rs, rs17597926, and 17512836 (P < 0.0002-0.00005). These gene effects were modulated by smoking behavior as indicated by significant interactions of TCF4 genotype and smoking status; heavy smokers (FTND score ≥ 4) showed stronger gene effects on P50 suppression than light smokers and never-smokers. Our finding suggests that sensory gating is modulated by an interaction of TCF4 genotype with smoking, and both factors may play a role in early information processing deficits also in schizophrenia. Consequently, considering smoking behavior may facilitate the search for genetic risk factors for schizophrenia.
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Vyas NS, Shamsi SA, Malhotra AK, Aitchison KJ, Kumari V. Can genetics inform the management of cognitive deficits in schizophrenia? J Psychopharmacol 2012; 26:334-48. [PMID: 22328662 DOI: 10.1177/0269881111434623] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
There is no doubt that schizophrenia has a significant genetic component and a number of candidate genes have been identified for this debilitating disorder. Of note, several of these are implicated in cognition. Cognitive deficits constitute core symptoms of schizophrenia, and while current antipsychotic treatment strategies aim to help psychosis-related symptomatology, the cognitive symptom domain is largely inadequately treated. A number of other pharmacological approaches (e.g. using drugs that target specific neurotransmitter systems) have also been attempted for the amelioration of cognitive deficits in this population; however, these too have had limited success so far. Psychological interventions appear promising, though there has been speculation regarding whether or not these produce long-term functional improvements. Pharmacogenetic studies of the cognitive effects of currently available antipsychotics, although in relatively early stages, suggest that the treatment of cognitive deficits in schizophrenia may be advanced by focusing on genetic variants associated with specific cognitive dysfunctions in the general population and using this to match the most relevant pharmacological and/or psychological interventions with the genetic and cognitive profiles of the target population. Such a strategy would encourage bottom-up advances in drug development and provide a platform for individualised treatment of cognitive deficits in schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nora S Vyas
- King's College London, Institute of Psychiatry, MRC SGDP Centre, London, UK.
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41
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Relationship of prepulse inhibition to temperament and character in healthy Japanese subjects. Neurosci Res 2012; 72:187-93. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neures.2011.10.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2011] [Revised: 09/19/2011] [Accepted: 10/25/2011] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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Powell SB, Weber M, Geyer MA. Genetic models of sensorimotor gating: relevance to neuropsychiatric disorders. Curr Top Behav Neurosci 2012; 12:251-318. [PMID: 22367921 PMCID: PMC3357439 DOI: 10.1007/7854_2011_195] [Citation(s) in RCA: 78] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Sensorimotor gating, or the ability of a sensory event to suppress a motor response, can be measured operationally via prepulse inhibition (PPI) of the startle response. PPI is deficient in schizophrenia patients as well as other neuropsychiatric disorders, can be measured across species, and has been used widely as a translational tool in preclinical neuropharmacological and genetic research. First developed to assess drug effects in pharmacological and developmental models, PPI has become one of the standard behavioral measures in genetic models of schizophrenia and other neuropsychiatric disorders that exhibit PPI deficits. In this chapter we review the literature on genetic models of sensorimotor gating and discuss the utility of PPI as a tool in phenotyping mutant mouse models. We highlight the approaches to genetic mouse models of neuropsychiatric disease, discuss some of the important caveats to these approaches, and provide a comprehensive table covering the more recent genetic models that have evaluated PPI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susan B. Powell
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Dr, La Jolla, CA 92093-0804, USA
- Research Service, VA San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Martin Weber
- Department of Neuroscience, Genentech Inc, 1 DNA Way, South San Francisco, CA 94080-4990, USA
| | - Mark A. Geyer
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Dr, La Jolla, CA 92093-0804, USA
- Research Service, VA San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA, USA
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Takahashi H, Hashimoto R, Iwase M, Ishii R, Kamio Y, Takeda M. Prepulse inhibition of startle response: recent advances in human studies of psychiatric disease. CLINICAL PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY AND NEUROSCIENCE 2011; 9:102-10. [PMID: 23429840 PMCID: PMC3569113 DOI: 10.9758/cpn.2011.9.3.102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2011] [Revised: 11/18/2011] [Accepted: 11/21/2011] [Indexed: 12/04/2022]
Abstract
Prepulse inhibition (PPI) is considered to be one of the most promising neurophysiological indexes for translational research in psychiatry. Impairment of PPI has been reported in several psychiatric diseases, particularly schizophrenia, where PPI is considered a candidate intermediate phenotype (endophenotype) of the disease. Recent findings from a variety of research areas have provided important evidence regarding PPI impairment. Human brain imaging studies have demonstrated the involvement of the striatum, hippocampus, thalamus and frontal and parietal cortical regions in PPI. In addition, several genetic polymorphisms, including variations in the genes coding for Catechol O-methyltransferase, Neuregulin 1, nuclear factor kappa-B subunit 3 and serotonin-2A receptor were related to PPI; and these findings support PPI as a polygenetic trait that involves several neurotransmitter pathways. Early psychosis studies suggest that PPI disruption is present before the onset of psychosis. Also, discrepancy of PPI impairment between children and adults can be found in other psychiatric diseases, such as autistic spectrum disorders and posttraumatic stress disorder, and comprehensive investigation of startle response might contribute to understand the impairment of the neural circuitry in psychiatric diseases. Finally, recent studies with both Asian and Caucasian subjects indicate that patients with schizophrenia exhibit impaired PPI, and impaired sensorimotor gating might be a global common psychophysiological feature of schizophrenia. In conclusion, studies of PPI have successfully contributed to a better understanding of the fundamental neural mechanisms underlying sensorimotor gating and will certainly be most valuable in devising future approaches that aim to investigate the complex pathogenesis of psychiatric diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hidetoshi Takahashi
- Department of Child and Adolescent Mental Health, National Institute of Mental Health, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Tokyo, Japan. ; Department of Psychiatry, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan
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Kvajo M, McKellar H, Gogos JA. Avoiding mouse traps in schizophrenia genetics: lessons and promises from current and emerging mouse models. Neuroscience 2011; 211:136-64. [PMID: 21821099 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2011.07.051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2011] [Revised: 07/15/2011] [Accepted: 07/19/2011] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
Schizophrenia is one of the most common psychiatric disorders, but despite progress in identifying the genetic factors implicated in its development, the mechanisms underlying its etiology and pathogenesis remain poorly understood. Development of mouse models is critical for expanding our understanding of the causes of schizophrenia. However, translation of disease pathology into mouse models has proven to be challenging, primarily due to the complex genetic architecture of schizophrenia and the difficulties in the re-creation of susceptibility alleles in the mouse genome. In this review we highlight current research on models of major susceptibility loci and the information accrued from their analysis. We describe and compare the different approaches that are necessitated by diverse susceptibility alleles, and discuss their advantages and drawbacks. Finally, we discuss emerging mouse models, such as second-generation pathophysiology models based on innovative approaches that are facilitated by the information gathered from the current genetic mouse models.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Kvajo
- Department of Physiology and Cellular Biophysics, College of Physicians & Surgeons, Columbia University Medical Center, 630 West 168th Street, New York, NY 10032, USA
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The association of schizophrenia risk D-amino acid oxidase polymorphisms with sensorimotor gating, working memory and personality in healthy males. Neuropsychopharmacology 2011; 36:1677-88. [PMID: 21471957 PMCID: PMC3138651 DOI: 10.1038/npp.2011.49] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
There is evidence supporting a role for the D-amino acid oxidase (DAO) locus in schizophrenia. This study aimed to determine the relationship of five single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within the DAO gene identified as promising schizophrenia risk genes (rs4623951, rs2111902, rs3918346, rs3741775, and rs3825251) to acoustic startle, prepulse inhibition (PPI), working memory, and personality dimensions. A highly homogeneous study entry cohort (n = 530) of healthy, young male army conscripts (n = 703) originating from the Greek LOGOS project (Learning On Genetics Of Schizophrenia Spectrum) underwent PPI of the acoustic startle reflex, working memory, and personality assessment. The QTPHASE from the UNPHASED package was used for the association analysis of each SNP or haplotype data, with p-values corrected for multiple testing by running 10,000 permutations of the data. The rs4623951_T-rs3741775_G and rs4623951_T-rs2111902_T diplotypes were associated with reduced PPI and worse performance in working memory tasks and a personality pattern characterized by attenuated anxiety. Median stratification analysis of the risk diplotype group (ie, those individuals homozygous for the T and G alleles (TG+)) showed reduced PPI and working memory performance only in TG+ individuals with high trait anxiety. The rs4623951_T allele, which is the DAO polymorphism most strongly associated with schizophrenia, might tag a haplotype that affects PPI, cognition, and personality traits in general population. Our findings suggest an influence of the gene in the neural substrate mediating sensorimotor gating and working memory, especially when combined with high anxiety and further validate DAO as a candidate gene for schizophrenia and spectrum disorders.
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Roussos P, Giakoumaki SG, Georgakopoulos A, Robakis NK, Bitsios P. The CACNA1C and ANK3 risk alleles impact on affective personality traits and startle reactivity but not on cognition or gating in healthy males. Bipolar Disord 2011; 13:250-9. [PMID: 21676128 DOI: 10.1111/j.1399-5618.2011.00924.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 79] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES The rs10994336 ANK3 and rs1006737 CACNA1C genetic variants have recently been identified as the most consistent, genome-wide significant risk factors for bipolar disorder, while the CACNA1C variant has also been associated with schizophrenia and major depression. The aim of this study was to examine the phenotypic consequences of the risk CACNA1C and ANK3 alleles in a large homogeneous cohort of healthy young males. METHODS We recruited 703 randomly selected, healthy army conscripts (mean age 22.1 ± 3.0 years) from the first wave of the Learning on Genetics of Schizophrenia project in Heraklion, Crete. Of those recruited, 530 subjects entered and completed the study. Subjects were assessed for prepulse inhibition (PPI), startle reactivity, neuropsychology, and personality. RESULTS UNPHASED analysis revealed that the rs1006737 A-allele was associated with lower extraversion and higher harm avoidance, trait anxiety, and paranoid ideation, while the rs10994336 T-allele was associated with lower novelty seeking and behavioral activation scores (p < 0.01). Both alleles were associated with high startle reactivity (p < 0.05). There were no significant associations with any cognitive task performance or PPI. CONCLUSIONS The CACNA1C genotype was associated with proneness to anxiety and negative mood, while the ANK3 genotype was associated with proneness to anhedonia. Both risk genotypes were associated with high startle reactivity, suggesting a role of these polymorphisms in threat/stress signal processing, probably in the hippocampus and/or amygdala. None of the risk genotypes affected sensorimotor gating or behavioral performance in an extensive battery of executive function tests in this cohort of healthy males.
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Affiliation(s)
- Panos Roussos
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Crete, Heraklion, Greece.
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Gating in schizophrenia: from genes to cognition (to real world function?). Biol Psychiatry 2011; 69:395-6. [PMID: 21316513 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2011.01.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2010] [Accepted: 01/03/2011] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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