title: Initial evidence for the role of CACNA1C on subcortical brain morphology in patients with bipolar disorder.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The polymorphism rs1006737 within the CACNA1C gene is associated with increased risk for bipolar disorder (BD) and variations in brain morphology and function of subcortical regions. Here we sought to investigate the influence of CACNA1C polymorphism on key subcortical brain structures implicated in the pathophysiology of BD.
  
  
  METHODS
  Structural magnetic resonance imaging scans were acquired from 41 euthymic patients with BD and 40 healthy controls, who were also genotyped for the CACNA1C rs1006737 polymorphism. The effect of diagnosis, genotype and their interaction was examined in predefined volumes of interest in the basal ganglia, hypothalamus and amygdala extracted using SPM5.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Carriers of the CACNA1C rs1006737 risk allele showed increased grey matter density in the right amygdala and right hypothalamus irrespective of diagnosis. An interaction between genotype and diagnosis was observed in the left putamen which was smaller in BD patients carrying the risk allele than in healthy controls.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The CACNA1C rs1006737 polymorphism influences anatomical variation within subcortical regions involved in emotional processing.
authors.affiliation: Medizinische Fakultät, Universität zu Köln, Germany.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Perrier
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Pompei
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ruberto
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Vassos
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Collier
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Frangou
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000483:Alleles; D001479:Basal Ganglia / Q000473:pathology*; D001714:Bipolar Disorder / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D020746:Calcium Channels, L-Type / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D056726:Genetic Association Studies; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D007031:Hypothalamus / Q000473:pathology*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide
chemical_list: C079146:CACNA1C protein, human; D020746:Calcium Channels, L-Type