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Influence of DGKH variants on amygdala volume in patients with bipolar affective disorder and schizophrenia

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Abstract

The diacylglycerol kinase eta (DGKH) gene, first identified in a genome-wide association study, is one of the few replicated risk genes of bipolar affective disorder (BD). Following initial positive studies, it not only was found to be associated with BD but also implicated in the etiology of other psychiatric disorders featuring affective symptoms, rendering DGKH a cross-disorder risk gene. However, the (patho-)physiological role of the encoded enzyme is still elusive. In the present study, we investigated primarily the influence of a risk haplotype on amygdala volume in patients suffering from schizophrenia or BD as well as healthy controls and four single nucleotide polymorphisms conveying risk. There was a significant association of the DGKH risk haplotype with increased amygdala volume in BD, but not in schizophrenia or healthy controls. These findings add to the notion of a role of DGKH in the pathogenesis of BD.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by the DFG (Grant RTG 1253/1, RE1632/5-1 to AR), the BMBF (DZHI, Project 01EO1004, to AR), and the IZKF (Project Z3-24, to SKS). I. Reck and C. Gagel are credited for excellent technical assistance.

Conflict of interest

S. Kittel-Schneider, B. Malchow, H. Scherk, C. Wolf, S. Trost, M. Backens, D. Zilles, W. Reith, and T. Schneider-Axmann declare no conflicts of interest. A. Hasan has been invited to scientific conferences by Janssen-Cilag, Pfizer, and Lundbeck. He received paid speakership by Desitin. O. Gruber was an honorary speaker for AstraZeneca, Bristol-Meyers Squibb, Janssen-Cilag, and Otsuka and has been invited for scientific congresses by AstraZeneca, Janssen-Cilag, and Pfizer. A. Schmitt was honorary speaker for TAD Pharma and Roche and has been member of advisory boards for Roche. P. Falkai has been member of the advisory boards for Janssen-Cilag, BMS, Lundback, Pfizer, Lilly, and AstraZeneca and received an educational grant from AstraZeneca and honoraria as lecturer from Janssen-Cilag, BMS, Lundbeck, Pfizer, Lilly, and AstraZeneca. T. Wobrock received honoraria and has participated in speaker bureaus for Alpine Biomed, AstraZeneca, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Lilly, Essex, Organon, Janssen-Cilag, Pfizer, Sanofi-Synthelabo/Aventis and Lundbeck and a research grant from AstraZeneca. A. Reif has received research grants from Astra Zeneca.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Psychiatric Neurobiology and Bipolar Disorder Program, Department of Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University of Würzburg, Füchsleinstr. 15, 97080, Würzburg, Germany

    S. Kittel-Schneider & A. Reif

  2. Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Göttingen, von-Siebold-Str. 5, 37075, Göttingen, Germany

    T. Wobrock, H. Scherk, S. Trost, D. Zilles, C. Wolf & O. Gruber

  3. Centre of Mental Health, Darmstadt-Dieburg Clinics, 64823, Groß-Umstadt, Germany

    T. Wobrock

  4. AMEOS Klinikum Osnabrück, 49088, Osnabrück, Germany

    H. Scherk

  5. Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, LMU Munich, Nußbaumstrasse 7, 80336, Munich, Germany

    T. Schneider-Axmann, A. Schmitt, B. Malchow, A. Hasan & P. Falkai

  6. Comprehensive Heart Failure Center, University of Würzburg, 97078, Würzburg, Germany

    S. Kittel-Schneider & A. Reif

  7. Laboratory of Neuroscience (LIM27), Institute of Psychiatry, University of Sao Paulo, Rua Dr. Ovidio Pires de Campos 785, São Paulo, SP, 05453-010, Brazil

    A. Schmitt

  8. Department of Neuroradiology, University of Saarland, 66421, Homburg/Saar, Germany

    M. Backens & W. Reith

Authors
  1. S. Kittel-Schneider
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  2. T. Wobrock
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  3. H. Scherk
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  4. T. Schneider-Axmann
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  7. C. Wolf
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  8. A. Schmitt
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  9. B. Malchow
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  10. A. Hasan
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  11. M. Backens
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  12. W. Reith
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  13. P. Falkai
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  14. O. Gruber
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  15. A. Reif
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Correspondence to S. Kittel-Schneider.

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O. Gruber and A. Reif have contributed equally to this work.

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Kittel-Schneider, S., Wobrock, T., Scherk, H. et al. Influence of DGKH variants on amygdala volume in patients with bipolar affective disorder and schizophrenia. Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci 265, 127–136 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00406-014-0513-9

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