ZNF804A genotype modulates neural activity during working memory for faces

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Genetics
• Cognitive Psychology

Background:

• Genetic susceptibility to schizophrenia (SZ) is linked to altered brain function in working memory (WM) and face processing.
• The ZNF804A gene variant rs1344706 is associated with psychosis risk and altered brain connectivity during WM.
• Previous research has not examined the specific effects of ZNF804A on WM involving face processing.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of the ZNF804A rs1344706 variant on brain activity during a face working memory task in healthy individuals.
• To determine if genetic variations at rs1344706 are associated with similar neural alterations observed in schizophrenia patients performing a face WM task.

Main Methods:

• Genotyping of healthy controls for the rs1344706 variant.
• Utilizing functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) during a face working memory task.
• Comparing brain activation patterns between genotype groups.

Main Results:

• The rs1344706 risk allele was associated with altered activation in the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (rDLPFC).
• rDLPFC activation was task-dependent, indicating genotype-related differences in cognitive processing.
• The identified rDLPFC alterations showed volumetric overlap with regions previously found to be affected in schizophrenia patients.

Conclusions:

• Findings support a link between the rs1344706 variant and altered DLPFC activity during face working memory.
• Working memory for faces may serve as a valuable intermediate phenotype for studying genetic susceptibility to psychosis.