title: Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase variant and schizophrenia/depression.
abstract: Patients with methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) deficiency often show psychiatric manifestations. Since a common variant of the MTHFR gene, T677(Ala), responsible for the thermolabile MTHFR with less than 50% specific MTHFR activity, has been reported, we examined whether the T677 allele is associated with psychiatric disorders in an unrelated Japanese population consisting of 297 schizophrenics, 32 patients with major depression, 40 patients with bipolar disorder, and 419 controls. The genotype homozygous for the T677 allele was significantly frequently observed in schizophrenics with an odds ratio of 1.9 (P = 0.0006), and in patients with major depression with an odds ratio of 2.8 (P = 0.005). Our data suggest associations of the MTHFR gene variant with schizophrenia and depression in the Japanese.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Genetics, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan. tarinami@md.tsukuba.ac.jp
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Arinami
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Yamada
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yamakawa-Kobayashi
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hamaguchi
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Toru
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D019943:Amino Acid Substitution / Q000235:genetics; D003863:Depression / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D042965:Methylenetetrahydrofolate Reductase (NADPH2); D008875:Middle Aged; D000587:Oxidoreductases Acting on CH-NH Group Donors / Q000172:deficiency* / Q000235:genetics*; D017354:Point Mutation; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D000587:Oxidoreductases Acting on CH-NH Group Donors; D042965:Methylenetetrahydrofolate Reductase (NADPH2)