Neuregulin 1 ICE-single nucleotide polymorphism in first episode schizophrenia correlates with cerebral activation in fronto-temporal areas.
The Neuregulin (NRG1) gene has been associated with schizophrenia, but its functional implications are largely unknown. Our aim was to assess differential brain activation between patients carrying an at-risk allele on the Neuregulin 1 gene and patients without this genetic risk. Neural signal changes between 14 first episode schizophrenia patients with the at risk allele (SNP8NRG221533) from the Icelandic core haplotype and 14 without were measured with fMRI during a working memory task. Patients without the at risk allele showed greater activations (P < 0.05; corrected) in the left hippocampus, precuneus and cerebellum, as well as the right anterior cingulate. Brain regions previously associated with the pathology of Schizophrenia are differentially affected in those with a genetic at risk status in the NRG1 gene. Heterogeneity of structural and functional measures within patients characterized by clinical phenotypes may be in part due to this genetic variation.
Kircher
Tilo
T
Dept. of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy RWTH , University of Aachen, Pauwelsstr. 30, 52074, Aachen, Germany. tkircher@ukaachen.de
Thienel
Renate
R
Wagner
Michael
M
Reske
Martina
M
Habel
Ute
U
Kellermann
Thilo
T
Frommann
Ingo
I
Schwab
Sibylle
S
Wölwer
Wolfgang
W
von Wilmsdorf
Martina
M
Braus
Dieter F
DF
Schmitt
Andrea
A
Rapp
Alexander
A
Stöcker
Tony
T
Shah
N Jon
NJ
Henn
Fritz A
FA
Sauer
Heinrich
H
Gaebel
Wolfgang
W
Maier
Wolfgang
W
Schneider
Frank
F
D000328:Adult; D002531:Cerebellum / Q000503:physiopathology; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000503:physiopathology; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000235:genetics; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease / Q000235:genetics; D006179:Gyrus Cinguli / Q000503:physiopathology; D006239:Haplotypes / Q000235:genetics*; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D020890:Neuregulin-1 / Q000235:genetics*; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide / Q000235:genetics*; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013702:Temporal Lobe / Q000503:physiopathology; D055815:Young Adult
D020890:Neuregulin-1