Association analyses of the neuregulin 1 gene with schizophrenia and manic psychosis in a Hispanic population.
OBJECTIVE
This study used the population of the Central Valley of Costa Rica (CVCR) and phenotyping strategies alternative to DSMIV classifications to investigate the association of neuregulin 1 with schizophrenia.


METHODS
Using 134 family trios with a history of psychosis, we genotyped six of the seven markers originally identified to be associated with schizophrenia in Iceland.


RESULTS
The neuregulin Icelandic haplotype was not associated with schizophrenia in the CVCR population. However, a novel haplotype was found to be overrepresented in subjects with functional psychosis (global P-value > 0.05). Stratification of the sample by history of mania suggests that this haplotype may be preferentially over-transmitted to persons with a history of manic psychosis.


CONCLUSIONS
These results suggest that the neuregulin 1 gene is unlikely to play a major role in predisposing to schizophrenia in the CVCR. Further studies in the CVCR and other Latin American populations should be performed in order to corroborate these findings.
Walss-Bass
C
C
Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, TX, USA.
Raventos
H
H
Montero
A P
AP
Armas
R
R
Dassori
A
A
Contreras
S
S
Liu
W
W
Medina
R
R
Levinson
D F
DF
Pereira
M
M
Leach
R J
RJ
Almasy
L
L
Escamilla
M A
MA
D001714:Bipolar Disorder / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000235:genetics*; D002391:Catchment Area, Health; D003364:Costa Rica / Q000453:epidemiology; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D005838:Genotype; D006239:Haplotypes; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000235:genetics* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D015810:Linkage Disequilibrium / Q000235:genetics; D018895:Microsatellite Repeats; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D020890:Neuregulin-1; D010641:Phenotype; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide / Q000235:genetics; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000235:genetics*
C094131:NRG1 protein, human; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D020890:Neuregulin-1