title: Novel schizophrenia risk gene TCF4 influences verbal learning and memory functioning in schizophrenia patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Recently, a role of the transcription factor 4 (TCF4) gene in schizophrenia has been reported in a large genome-wide association study. It has been hypothesized that TCF4 affects normal brain development and TCF4 has been related to different forms of neurodevelopmental disorders. Schizophrenia patients exhibit strong impairments of verbal declarative memory (VDM) functions. Thus, we hypothesized that the disease-associated C allele of the rs9960767 polymorphism of the TCF4 gene led to impaired VDM functioning in schizophrenia patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  The TCF4 variant was genotyped in 401 schizophrenia patients. VDM functioning was measured using the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Carriers of the C allele were less impaired in recognition compared to those carrying the AA genotype (13.76 vs. 13.06; p = 0.049). Moreover, a trend toward higher scores in patients with the risk allele was found for delayed recall (10.24 vs. 9.41; p = 0.088). The TCF4 genotype did not influence intelligence or RAVLT immediate recall or total verbal learning.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  VDM function is influenced by the TCF4 gene in schizophrenia patients. However, the elevated risk for schizophrenia is not conferred by TCF4-mediated VDM impairment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany.
authors.forename: Leonhard
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lennertz
authors.forename: Dan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Rujescu
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wagner
authors.forename: Ingo
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Frommann
authors.forename: Svenja
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Schulze-Rauschenbach
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Schuhmacher
authors.forename: Martin W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Landsberg
authors.forename: Petra
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Franke
authors.forename: Hans-Jürgen
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Möller
authors.forename: Wolfgang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Wölwer
authors.forename: Wolfgang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Gaebel
authors.forename: Heinz
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Häfner
authors.forename: Wolfgang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Maier
authors.forename: Rainald
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mössner
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000483:Alleles; D051778:Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Leucine Zipper Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease / Q000235:genetics* / Q000523:psychology*; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; D011597:Psychomotor Performance; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000235:genetics*; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology; D000073940:Transcription Factor 4; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics*; D014706:Verbal Learning
chemical_list: D051778:Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Leucine Zipper Transcription Factors; C532096:TCF4 protein, human; D000073940:Transcription Factor 4; D014157:Transcription Factors