title: A putative high risk diplotype of the G72 gene is in healthy individuals associated with better performance in working memory functions and altered brain activity in the medial temporal lobe.
abstract: G72 is a vulnerability gene for schizophrenia and affective psychosis, disorders that are characterized by deficits in working memory. In the present study we investigated whether the G72 genotype influences verbal and spatial working memory functions in healthy individuals. Working memory was assessed at the behavioural level in 423 subjects using the spatial span of the Wechsler Memory Scale (spatial working memory) and the letter-number-span test (verbal working memory). In a sub-sample of 83 subjects, we assessed working memory functions also at the neural level using functional magnetic resonance imaging during a classical letter variant of the n-back task. Unexpectedly the high risk allele carriers performed better in the verbal working memory task than the other subjects. These behavioural differences were accompanied by brain activation differences in the right parahippocampus, a brain region that plays a major role in schizophrenia and affective disorders. The high risk variant of a vulnerability gene therefore does not necessarily have to negatively affect cognitive abilities per se, but may even have beneficial effects on cognitive functions in the non-affected population.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Philipps-University Marburg, Marburg, Germany. an.jan@gmx.de
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jansen
authors.forename: Sören
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Krach
authors.forename: Axel
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Krug
authors.forename: Valentin
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Markov
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Eggermann
authors.forename: Klaus
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Zerres
authors.forename: Tony
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Stöcker
authors.forename: N Jon
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Shah
authors.forename: Markus M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Nöthen
authors.forename: Jens
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Treutlein
authors.forename: Marcella
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rietschel
authors.forename: Tilo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kircher
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease / Q000235:genetics*; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D047908:Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology*; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; D013702:Temporal Lobe / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D002352:Carrier Proteins; C475071:DAOA protein, human; D047908:Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins