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Measurement of Fronto-limbic Activity Using an Emotional Oddball Task in Children with Familial High Risk for Schizophrenia
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Polygenic risk for schizophrenia and associated brain structural changes: A systematic review
C van der Merwe1, R Passchier2, M Mufford1
1UCT/MRC Research Unit for Genomic and Precision Medicine, Division of Human Genetics, Department of Pathology, Institute of Infectious Diseases and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
Comprehensive Psychiatry
|December 12, 2018
Summary
Polygenic Risk Scores (PRS) for schizophrenia do not appear to be significantly associated with brain structure changes. Larger studies found no link, suggesting future research may need to explore other factors or improve study power.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychiatry
- Genetics
Background:
- Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) identify genetic variants associated with schizophrenia.
- Polygenic Risk Scores (PRS) aggregate these variants to estimate an individual's genetic predisposition.
- Altered brain structures are a known feature of schizophrenia, but the link with PRS has been inconsistent.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically review and determine the association between schizophrenia Polygenic Risk Scores (PRS) and brain structure.
- To reconcile inconsistent findings in previous studies regarding PRS and brain morphology in schizophrenia.
Main Methods:
- Systematic review following PRISMA guidelines.
- Inclusion criteria: European ancestry GWAS for discovery and brain structure/genotype data for target samples.
- Quality assessment using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool.
Main Results:
- Seven studies were eligible; five found no significant association between schizophrenia PRS and brain structure.
- Two studies reported associations with total brain, white matter, and globus pallidus volumes.
- These positive findings were from smaller discovery and target samples compared to studies showing no association.
Conclusions:
- Current evidence suggests schizophrenia PRS are not significantly associated with brain structural changes.
- Future research could focus on intermediate phenotypes beyond brain structure.
- Alternatively, larger, better-powered studies are needed to confirm or refute these findings.
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