Nerve growth factor and its receptor in schizophrenia

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Genetics
• Psychiatry

Background:

• Schizophrenia is associated with synaptic plasticity defects, potentially linked to neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative issues.
• Nerve growth factor (NGF) and its receptor (NGFR) are crucial for synaptic plasticity and may play a role in schizophrenia pathogenesis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between schizophrenia and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in NGF and NGFR genes.
• To compare blood levels of NGF and NGFR in schizophrenia patients and healthy controls.
• To explore the relationship between specific SNPs and protein levels.

Main Methods:

• Comparative analysis of blood NGF and NGFR levels in schizophrenia patients and healthy subjects.
• Genotyping of functional SNPs in NGF (rs6330, rs4839435) and NGFR (rs11466155, rs2072446, rs734194).
• Assessment of correlations between SNP genotypes and plasma protein concentrations.

Main Results:

• Schizophrenia showed positive associations with NGF rs6330 and NGFR rs11466155, rs2072446 SNPs.
• Negative associations were found with NGF rs4839435 and NGFR rs734194 SNPs.
• Decreased NGF and NGFR blood levels were observed in both treated and untreated patients, linked to specific SNP carriage.

Conclusions:

• Genetic variations in NGF and NGFR, along with reduced protein levels, are implicated in schizophrenia, particularly affecting synaptic plasticity.
• Specific alleles (NGF rs6330*T, NGFR rs11466155*T, rs2072446*T) may be risk factors, while others (NGF rs4839435*A, NGFR rs734194*G) may be protective in the Armenian population.