DGCR2 influences cortical thickness through a mechanism independent of schizophrenia pathogenesis
Sintia Iole Belangero1, Vanessa Kiyomi Ota2, Ary Gadelha3
1Disciplina de Genética, Departamento de Morfologia e Genética, Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP), São Paulo, Brazil; Laboratório Interdisciplinar de Neurociências Clínicas (LiNC), Departamento de Psiquiatria, Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP), São Paulo, Brazil.
Abstract:
We investigated the role of DGCR2, a corticogenesis-related gene, on schizophrenia (SZ) and its subphenotypes, including brain morphology. A total of 221 SZ patients, 263 controls and 70 antipsychotic-naïve first episode of psychosis (FEP) were genotyped for 17 DGCR2 polymorphisms. While no association between DGCR2 polymorphisms and SZ was found, the missense variant rs2072123 was associated to left rostral anterior cingulate thickness, showing that DGCR2 seems not to be associated directly with the SZ but might be influencing the brain morphology. We also showed a DGCR2 downregulation in SZ patients when compared to controls and FEP.
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