title: Homocysteine and MTHFR C677T polymorphism in children and adolescents with psychotic and mood disorders.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  High level of homocysteine (Hcy) is risk factor of schizophrenia and mood disorders.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim was to detect a serum level of Hcy, examine the associations between the level of Hcy, methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) gene C677T polymorphism and clinical properties for patients with schizophrenia, mood disorders and in a control group.
  
  
  METHODS
  There were 88 patients with schizophrenia, 28 with affective disorders and 94 from the control group. The Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAM-A) was performed to study anxiety, the Hamilton Depression Scale (HAM-D) to study depression and the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) to study severity of schizophrenia. The level of Hcy was stated by isocratic high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) system with fluorometric detection. DNA isolation from venous blood was performed by the phenol-chloroform method.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The levels of B12 vitamin and folic acid were within normal limits for all the patients. The average level of Hcy was 11.94 ± 5.6 μmol/l for patients with schizophrenia and 11.65 ± 3.3 μmol/l for patients with affective disorders, vs. 6.80 ± 2.93 μmol/l in a control group. The highest level of Hcy has been observed in patients with an episodic-recurrent course of schizophrenia, paranoid schizophrenia-continuous, particularly in patients with CT genotype (r = - 0.58; P < 0.01). In the given diagnostic groups, the highest level of anxiety was observed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The level of Hcy is higher in the blood of a heterozygotic person who becomes ill with schizophrenia, and the process of the illness is more serious and with more typical affective disorders.
authors.affiliation: Laura Kevere, Department of Psychiatry, Riga Stradins University , Riga , Latvia.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kevere
authors.forename: Santa
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Purvina
authors.forename: Daiga
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bauze
authors.forename: Marcis
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zeibarts
authors.forename: Raisa
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Andrezina
authors.forename: Linda
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Piekuse
authors.forename: Edgars
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Brekis
authors.forename: Indulis
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Purvins
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001483:Base Sequence; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D017931:DNA Primers; D005260:Female; D006710:Homocysteine / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D042965:Methylenetetrahydrofolate Reductase (NADPH2) / Q000235:genetics*; D019964:Mood Disorders / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics*; D014805:Vitamin B 12 / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers; D006710:Homocysteine; D042965:Methylenetetrahydrofolate Reductase (NADPH2); D014805:Vitamin B 12