Common risk genes for affective and schizophrenic psychoses.
The familial-genetic relationship between affective and schizophrenic disorders is receiving a re-emergence of interest. The reasons are a series of cross-diagnostic molecular-genetic discoveries: specific alleles in the genes for dysbindin (DTNBP1), neuregulin (NRG1) and DAOA (G72/G30) reveal associations for each of both groups of disorders in the same direction in some but not all reported studies. These findings cannot just be false positives because of confirming metaanalyses. Furthermore there is some pathophysiological support: the mentioned genes are involved in biochemical pathways, which are contributing to both disorders partly in a similar and partly in a different manner. The new levels of evidence enrich the classical continuity/discontinuity debate on the relationship between both groups of disorders.
Klinik und Poliklinik für Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie, Universitätsklinikum Bonn, Sigmund-Freud-Strabe 25, 53105, Bonn, Germany. Wolfgang.Maier@ukb.uni-bonn.de
Wolfgang
W
Maier
D000341:Affective Disorders, Psychotic / Q000235:genetics*; D000483:Alleles; D001714:Bipolar Disorder / Q000235:genetics; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D000074765:Dysbindin; D049029:Dystrophin-Associated Proteins; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D006801:Humans; D047908:Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D015810:Linkage Disequilibrium; D020890:Neuregulin-1 / Q000235:genetics*; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000235:genetics*
D002352:Carrier Proteins; C475071:DAOA protein, human; C432416:DTNBP1 protein, human; D000074765:Dysbindin; D049029:Dystrophin-Associated Proteins; D047908:Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D020890:Neuregulin-1