title: Longer telomere length in patients with schizophrenia.
abstract: Previous studies have reported an association between shorter leukocyte telomere length and schizophrenia (SCZ). The aim of the present study was to replicate this finding in a large sample of SCZ patients (n=539) and population-based controls (n=519). In addition, the possible influence of SCZ severity on telomere length - as measured by age of onset, mode of onset, and course of the disorder - was investigated. Telomere length was negatively associated with age in both patients and controls. This is a consistently reported phenomenon, related to the problem of DNA end-replication. However, in contrast to previous findings, SCZ patients displayed longer telomeres compared to controls (p=0.015). No association was found with any SCZ-severity subphenotype. Interestingly, recent studies have reported associations between longer leukocyte telomere length and both smaller hippocampal volume, and poorer episodic memory performance. Both phenotypes are common in patients with SCZ. Further studies are warranted to investigate whether the present association between SCZ and increased telomere length was driven by such associations, or rather by association with the clinical disease per se or other associated phenotypes, endophenotypes or lifestyle factors.
authors.affiliation: Department of Genetic Epidemiology in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, J 5, 68159 Mannheim, Germany. vanessa.nieratschker@med.uni-tuebingen.de
authors.forename: Vanessa
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Nieratschker
authors.forename: Jenni
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lahtinen
authors.forename: Sandra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Meier
authors.forename: Jana
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Strohmaier
authors.forename: Josef
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Frank
authors.forename: Angela
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Heinrich
authors.forename: René
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Breuer
authors.forename: Stephanie H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Witt
authors.forename: Markus M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Nöthen
authors.forename: Marcella
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rietschel
authors.forename: Iiris
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Hovatta
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D018672:Community Health Planning; D005260:Female; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000235:genetics*; D016615:Telomere / Q000235:genetics*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: CV; Case–control design; DNA; DNA extraction method; DSM-IV; Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Fourth Edition; EDTA; FNTD; Fagerstrom Test of Nicotine Dependence; Hgb; NGFN; National Genome Research Network; OPCRIT; Operational Criteria Checklist for Psychotic Illness; SCID; SCZ; Schizophrenia; Severity; Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV axis I disorders; Subphenotype; Telomere length; deoxyribonucleic acid; double strand; dsDNA; ethylenediaminetetraacetic; inter-assay coefficient of variation; microliter; nM; nanograms; nanomolar; ng; qPCR; quantitative Polymerase chain reaction; schizophrenia; β-hemoglobin; μl