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Genetic Variability Testing of Neurodevelopmental Genes in Schizophrenic Patients

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Abstract

This study investigated the associations between single nucleotide polymorphisms in the neurodevelopmental Disrupted In Schizophrenia 1 (DISC1 ), neuregulin 1 (NRG1), brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and NOTCH4 genes and the clinical symptoms and the occurrence of treatment-resistant schizophrenia in the Slovenian population. We included 138 schizophrenia patients, divided into treatment-responsive and treatment-resistant group and 94 healthy blood donors. All subjects were genotyped for eight polymorphisms (DISC1 rs6675281, DISC1 rs821616, NRG1 rs3735781, NRG1 rs3735782, NRG1 rs10503929, NRG1 rs3924999, BDNF rs6265, NOTCH rs367398) and investigated for associations with clinical variables. NOTCH4 rs367398 AA/AG was significantly associated with worse Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) and Clinical Global Impression (CGI) score. NOTCH4 rs367398 was not statistically significantly associated with the occurrence of treatment-resistant schizophrenia after the correction for multiple testing. Our data indicate that NOTCH4 polymorphism can influence clinical symptoms in Slovenian patients with schizophrenia.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to offer our special thanks to Anja Plemenitaš, M.D., who contributed to the blood samples of blood donors.

This study was financially supported by the Slovenian Research Agency (ARRS Grants No. P1-0170 and P3-0366).

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University Psychiatric Clinic Ljubljana, Studenec 48, 1260, Ljubljana, Slovenia

    Tea Terzić & Blanka Kores Plesničar

  2. Institute of Biochemistry, Medical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia

    Matej Kastelic & Vita Dolžan

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  1. Tea Terzić
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  2. Matej Kastelic
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  3. Vita Dolžan
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  4. Blanka Kores Plesničar
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Correspondence to Blanka Kores Plesničar.

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Terzić, T., Kastelic, M., Dolžan, V. et al. Genetic Variability Testing of Neurodevelopmental Genes in Schizophrenic Patients. J Mol Neurosci 56, 205–211 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12031-014-0482-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12031-014-0482-5

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