A Neuregulin Variant, Psychotic Symptoms, and Brain Activation

These findings might eventually help clinicians to identify patients at the highest risk for schizophrenia.

Several genetic-linkage and most genetic-association studies support a variant of neuregulin 1 (NRG1) as a risk factor for schizophrenia (see Journal Watch Psychiatry Aug 17 2005). However, the functional effects of NRG1, which affects glial mechanisms, have not been identified. These researchers genotyped 79 participants without schizophrenia but with at least two family members having the disease (mean age at genotyping, 21), and then followed them for up to 10 years. Four to 5 years after genotyping, participants underwent functional MRI while performing a cognitive task.

The investigators found a significant difference among genotypes (C/C, C/T, and T/T) for a single-nucleotide polymorphism, SNP8NRG243177, in regard to the risk for psych…

Reviewing Author

Barbara Geller, MD