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Neuregulin 1: genetic support for schizophrenia subtypes

Molecular Psychiatry volume 9, pages 1061–1063 (2004)Cite this article

SIR—The deficit syndrome is a form of chronic schizophrenia characterized by enduring, idiopathic negative symptoms.1 Patients with this clinically distinct disease subtype have been suggested to differ in several biological aspects from patients with a more benign course with exacerbations and remissions.2 We hypothesized that part of the heterogeneity of disease course in schizophrenia is related to different contributing genetic factors. The neuregulin 1 gene (NRG1), assumed to be involved in glutamate neurotransmission and neurodevelopment, was recently reported to be associated with schizophrenia in several, but not all populations.3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 We have investigated the association of NRG1 with schizophrenia in patients with and without the deficit syndrome.

In order to enrich the sample for patients with the deficit syndrome, 282 schizophrenia patients were mainly recruited from psychiatric hospitals. Patients had at least three Dutch-born Caucasian grandparents. DSM-IV diagnosis of schizophrenia, excluding schizoaffective disorder, was made using the Comprehensive Assessment of Symptoms and History10 and information from medical records. The Schedule for the Deficit Syndrome (SDS)11 was completed for 260 patients (92.2%), 130 of whom met deficit criteria. In 29 patients with severe negative symptoms, it could not be ruled out that these symptoms were secondary to factors such as substance abuse. Following the SDS, they were classified as nondeficit schizophrenia. The Medical Ethical Committee of the UMC Utrecht approved the study and all patients gave written informed consent. The control panel (n=585) consisted of 472 DNA samples from random Dutch individuals, obtained from the Immunogenetics and Transplantation Immunology Section of the Department of Immunohematology and Blood Transfusion, LUMC, Leiden and 113 healthy controls from our department. Under optimal conditions, these samples have approximately 90% power to detect a locus with a relative risk of 1.5, and still 75% to detect a locus with an RR of 1.25.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry, University Medical Center, Utrecht, The Netherlands

    S C Bakker, M L C Hoogendoorn, J-P Selten & R S Kahn

  2. Department of Immunohematology and Blood Transfusion, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands

    W Verduijn

  3. Department of Biomedical Genetics, University Medical Center, Utrecht, The Netherlands

    P L Pearson & R J Sinke

Authors
  1. S C Bakker
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  2. M L C Hoogendoorn
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  3. J-P Selten
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  4. W Verduijn
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  5. P L Pearson
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  6. R J Sinke
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  7. R S Kahn
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Correspondence to S C Bakker.

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Bakker, S., Hoogendoorn, M., Selten, JP. et al. Neuregulin 1: genetic support for schizophrenia subtypes. Mol Psychiatry 9, 1061–1063 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.mp.4001564

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