TCF4 gene polymorphism is associated with cognition in patients with schizophrenia and healthy controls.
BACKGROUND
Cognitive deficits have been identified as an important core feature of schizophrenia. Single nucleotide polymorphisms in the transcription factor 4 (TCF4) gene have been reported to be involved in the susceptibility to schizophrenia and be significantly related to cognitive deficits of schizophrenia and controls. This study examines whether the TCF4 rs2958182 polymorphism influences cognitive functions in chronic schizophrenia and controls.


METHODS
The presence of the TCF4 rs2958182 was determined in 976 patients and 420 controls using a case-control design. We assessed all the patients' psychopathology using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS). Cognition was assessed in 777 patients and 399 controls by using the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS).


RESULTS
There were marginally significant differences in the TCF4 rs2958182 allelic and genotypic distributions between patients and controls (χ2 = 3.48, p = 0.062 and χ2 = 0.036, p = 0.036, respectively). Cognitive test scores were significantly lower in patients than in controls on all scales (all p < 0.001) except for the visuospatial/constructional index (p > 0.05). There were significant genotype effects on delayed memory score (p = 0.013), the RBANS total score (p = 0.028) and language score (p = 0.034). Further analysis showed that the language score significantly differed according to the genotypic groups (A/A+T/A group versus T/T group) (p = 0.007) in patients but not in controls (p > 0.05), and the delayed memory score also significantly differed according to the genotypic groups (A/A+T/A group versus T/T group) (p = 0.021) in controls but not in patients (p > 0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
This study found that the A allele of the TCF4 rs2958182 polymorphism was the risk allele of schizophrenia, and was associated with lower cognitive performance in language in schizophrenia and delayed memory in controls. In contrast, the T allele of this polymorphism was found to be the schizophrenia risk allele in another study in Han Chinese people.
Institute of Wenzhou Kangning Mental Health, Wenzhou Kangning Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, PR China.
Li
L
Hui
Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Jilin University, Changchun, PR China.
Wen-Wang
WW
Rao
Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Jilin University, Changchun, PR China.
Qiong
Q
Yu
Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Jilin University, Changchun, PR China.
Changgui
C
Kou
School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, Faculty of Health, The University of Newcastle, University Drive, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia; Biological Psychiatry Center, Beijing HuiLongGuan Hospital, Peking University, Beijing, PR China.
Jing Qin
JQ
Wu
Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, PR China.
Jin Cai
JC
He
Institute of Wenzhou Kangning Mental Health, Wenzhou Kangning Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, PR China.
Min Jie
MJ
Ye
Institute of Wenzhou Kangning Mental Health, Wenzhou Kangning Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, PR China.
Jia Hong
JH
Liu
Institute of Wenzhou Kangning Mental Health, Wenzhou Kangning Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, PR China.
Xiao Jun
XJ
Xu
Institute of Wenzhou Kangning Mental Health, Wenzhou Kangning Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, PR China.
Ke
K
Zheng
Institute of Wenzhou Kangning Mental Health, Wenzhou Kangning Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, PR China.
Li Na
LN
Ruan
Institute of Wenzhou Kangning Mental Health, Wenzhou Kangning Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, PR China.
Hong Yang
HY
Liu
Institute of Wenzhou Kangning Mental Health, Wenzhou Kangning Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, PR China.
Wei Ming
WM
Hu
Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, PR China.
Tian Nan
TN
Shao
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Harris County Psychiatric Center, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA.
Michael B
MB
AngRabanes
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Harris County Psychiatric Center, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA.
Jair C
JC
Soares
Biological Psychiatry Center, Beijing HuiLongGuan Hospital, Peking University, Beijing, PR China; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Harris County Psychiatric Center, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA. Electronic address: xiang.y.zhang@uth.tmc.edu.
Xiang Yang
XY
Zhang
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D051778:Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Leucine Zipper Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003071:Cognition; D005260:Female; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D005838:Genotype; D064368:Healthy Volunteers; D006801:Humans; D007802:Language; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012306:Risk; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000235:genetics*; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology; D000073940:Transcription Factor 4; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics*; D055815:Young Adult
D051778:Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Leucine Zipper Transcription Factors; C532096:TCF4 protein, human; D000073940:Transcription Factor 4; D014157:Transcription Factors
Association; Cognition; Genotype; Schizophrenia; TCF4