title: DISC1 Ser704Cys impacts thalamic-prefrontal connectivity.
abstract: The Disrupted-in-Schizophrenia 1 (DISC1) gene has been thought as a putative susceptibility gene for various psychiatric disorders, and DISC1 Ser704Cys is associated with variations of brain morphology and function. Moreover, our recent diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (dMRI) study reported that DISC1 Ser704Cys was associated with information transfer efficiency in the brain anatomical network. However, the effects of the DISC1 gene on functional brain connectivity and networks, especially for thalamic-prefrontal circuit, which are disrupted in various psychiatric disorders, are largely unknown. Using a functional connectivity density (FCD) mapping method based on functional magnetic resonance imaging data in a large sample of healthy Han Chinese subjects, we first investigated the association between DISC1 Ser704Cys and short- and long-range FCD hubs. Compared with Ser homozygotes, Cys-allele individuals had increased long-range FCD hubs in the bilateral thalami. The functional and anatomical connectivity of the thalamus to the prefrontal cortex was further analyzed. Significantly increased thalamic-prefrontal functional connectivity and decreased thalamic-prefrontal anatomical connectivity were found in DISC1 Cys-allele carriers. Our findings provide consistent evidence that the DISC1 Ser704Cys polymorphism influences the thalamic-prefrontal circuits in humans and may provide new insights into the neural mechanisms that link DISC1 and the risk for psychiatric disorders.
authors.affiliation: Brainnetome Center, Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China.
authors.forename: Bing
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Lingzhong
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Fan
authors.forename: Yue
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Cui
authors.forename: Xiaolong
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Bing
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Hou
authors.forename: Yonghui
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Wen
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Qin
authors.forename: Dawei
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Chunshui
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Tianzi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Jiang
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000344:Afferent Pathways / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000098:blood supply; D001931:Brain Mapping; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D003545:Cysteine / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D010100:Oxygen / Q000097:blood; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000098:blood supply; D012694:Serine / Q000235:genetics*; D013788:Thalamus / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000098:blood supply; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: C412476:DISC1 protein, human; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D012694:Serine; D003545:Cysteine; D010100:Oxygen