title: Early development and unstable genes in schizophrenia: preliminary results.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Trinucleotide repeats have been associated with schizophrenia, but the evidence, based on cross-sectional clinical information, is equivocal.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To examine the relationship between genomic CAG/CTG repeat size and premorbid development in schizophrenia.
  
  
  METHODS
  Early development and premorbid functioning of 22 patients with DSM-IV diagnosis of schizophrenia were assessed by parental interviews. Repeat expansion detection (RED) technique was used to measure genomic CAG/CTG repeat size, and PCR for CAG repeat size at the ERDA-1 and CTG 18.1 loci.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was an inverse association between CAG/CTG size and perinatal complications. Patients with speech and motor developmental delay had larger repeats. The results were not due to expansion in the ERDA-1 and CTG 18.1 genes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  CAG/CTG repeat expansion is associated with speech and motor developmental delay in schizophrenia. We propose that the developmental model may be useful for research into the genetics of schizophrenia.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Hull, East Riding Campus, Coniston House, Willerby, East Yorkshire HU10 6NS, UK. A.K.Ayton@hull.ac.uk
authors.forename: Agnes
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ayton
authors.forename: Alex G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Morris
authors.forename: Philip J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Tyson
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hunt
authors.forename: Ann M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Mortimer
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Cottrell
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D002658:Developmental Disabilities / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D017353:Gene Deletion; D015870:Gene Expression / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D019957:Motor Skills Disorders / Q000235:genetics; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000235:genetics*; D013064:Speech Disorders / Q000235:genetics; D019680:Trinucleotide Repeat Expansion / Q000235:genetics; D018911:Trinucleotide Repeats / Q000235:genetics