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El-Kordi A, Kästner A, Grube S, Klugmann M, Begemann M, Sperling S, Hammerschmidt K, Hammer C, Stepniak B, Patzig J, de Monasterio-Schrader P, Strenzke N, Flügge G, Werner HB, Pawlak R, Nave KA, Ehrenreich H. A single gene defect causing claustrophobia. Transl Psychiatry 2013; 3:e254. [PMID: 23632458 PMCID: PMC3641414 DOI: 10.1038/tp.2013.28] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Claustrophobia, the well-known fear of being trapped in narrow/closed spaces, is often considered a conditioned response to traumatic experience. Surprisingly, we found that mutations affecting a single gene, encoding a stress-regulated neuronal protein, can cause claustrophobia. Gpm6a-deficient mice develop normally and lack obvious behavioral abnormalities. However, when mildly stressed by single-housing, these mice develop a striking claustrophobia-like phenotype, which is not inducible in wild-type controls, even by severe stress. The human GPM6A gene is located on chromosome 4q32-q34, a region linked to panic disorder. Sequence analysis of 115 claustrophobic and non-claustrophobic subjects identified nine variants in the noncoding region of the gene that are more frequent in affected individuals (P=0.028). One variant in the 3'untranslated region was linked to claustrophobia in two small pedigrees. This mutant mRNA is functional but cannot be silenced by neuronal miR124 derived itself from a stress-regulated transcript. We suggest that loosing dynamic regulation of neuronal GPM6A expression poses a genetic risk for claustrophobia.
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Affiliation(s)
- A El-Kordi
- Division of Clinical Neuroscience, Max Planck Institute of Experimental Medicine, Göttingen, Germany,DFG Research Center for Molecular Physiology of the Brain (CMPB), Göttingen, Germany
| | - A Kästner
- Division of Clinical Neuroscience, Max Planck Institute of Experimental Medicine, Göttingen, Germany
| | - S Grube
- Division of Clinical Neuroscience, Max Planck Institute of Experimental Medicine, Göttingen, Germany
| | - M Klugmann
- Department of Neurogenetics, Max Planck Institute of Experimental Medicine, Göttingen, Germany
| | - M Begemann
- Division of Clinical Neuroscience, Max Planck Institute of Experimental Medicine, Göttingen, Germany,DFG Research Center for Molecular Physiology of the Brain (CMPB), Göttingen, Germany
| | - S Sperling
- Division of Clinical Neuroscience, Max Planck Institute of Experimental Medicine, Göttingen, Germany
| | - K Hammerschmidt
- Cognitive Ethology Laboratory, German Primate Center, Göttingen, Germany
| | - C Hammer
- Division of Clinical Neuroscience, Max Planck Institute of Experimental Medicine, Göttingen, Germany
| | - B Stepniak
- Division of Clinical Neuroscience, Max Planck Institute of Experimental Medicine, Göttingen, Germany
| | - J Patzig
- Department of Neurogenetics, Max Planck Institute of Experimental Medicine, Göttingen, Germany
| | | | - N Strenzke
- Department of Otolaryngology, Georg-August-University, Göttingen, Germany
| | - G Flügge
- DFG Research Center for Molecular Physiology of the Brain (CMPB), Göttingen, Germany,Department of Clinical Neurobiology, German Primate Center, Göttingen, Germany
| | - H B Werner
- Department of Neurogenetics, Max Planck Institute of Experimental Medicine, Göttingen, Germany
| | - R Pawlak
- Laboratory of Neuronal Plasticity and Behaviour, University of Exeter Medical School, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | - K-A Nave
- DFG Research Center for Molecular Physiology of the Brain (CMPB), Göttingen, Germany,Department of Neurogenetics, Max Planck Institute of Experimental Medicine, Göttingen, Germany,Max Planck Institute of Experimental Medicine, Hermann-Rein Street 3, 37075 Göttingen, Germany. E-mail: (HE) or (K-AN)
| | - H Ehrenreich
- Division of Clinical Neuroscience, Max Planck Institute of Experimental Medicine, Göttingen, Germany,DFG Research Center for Molecular Physiology of the Brain (CMPB), Göttingen, Germany,Max Planck Institute of Experimental Medicine, Hermann-Rein Street 3, 37075 Göttingen, Germany. E-mail: (HE) or (K-AN)
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