Effects of the neurogranin variant rs12807809 on thalamocortical morphology in schizophrenia.

Abstract

Although the genome wide supported psychosis susceptibility neurogranin (NRGN) gene is expressed in human brains, it is unclear how it impacts brain morphology in schizophrenia. We investigated the influence of NRGN rs12807809 on cortical thickness, subcortical volumes and shapes in patients with schizophrenia. One hundred and fifty six subjects (91 patients with schizophrenia and 65 healthy controls) underwent structural MRI scans and their blood samples were genotyped. A brain mapping algorithm, large deformation diffeomorphic metric mapping, was used to perform group analysis of subcortical shapes and cortical thickness. Patients with risk TT genotype were associated with widespread cortical thinning involving frontal, parietal and temporal cortices compared with controls with TT genotype. No volumetric difference in subcortical structures (hippocampus, thalamus, amygdala, basal ganglia) was observed between risk TT genotype in patients and controls. However, patients with risk TT genotype were associated with thalamic shape abnormalities involving regions related to pulvinar and medial dorsal nuclei. Our results revealed the influence of the NRGN gene on thalamocortical morphology in schizophrenia involving widespread cortical thinning and thalamic shape abnormalities. These findings help to clarify underlying NRGN mediated pathophysiological mechanisms involving cortical-subcortical brain networks in schizophrenia.

• Authors: Jamie Yu Jin Thong, Anqi Qiu, Min Yi Sum, Carissa Nadia Kuswanto, Ta Ahn Tuan, Gary Donohoe, Yih Yian Sitoh, Kang Sim
• Journal: PloS one (PLoS One) Vol. 8 Issue 12 Pg. e85603 ( 2013) ISSN: 1932-6203 [Electronic] United States
• PMID: 24386483 (Publication Type: Clinical Trial, Journal Article, Multicenter Study, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)

Chemical References

• NRGN protein, human
• Neurogranin

Topics

• Adult
• Cerebral Cortex (diagnostic imaging, metabolism)
• Female
• Genotype
• Humans
• Magnetic Resonance Imaging
• Male
• Middle Aged
• Neurogranin (genetics, metabolism)
• Radiography
• Schizophrenia (diagnostic imaging, genetics, metabolism)
• Thalamus (diagnostic imaging, metabolism)