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The relationship of anterior thalamic radiation integrity to psychosis risk associated neuregulin-1 variants

Molecular Psychiatry volume 14, pages 237–238 (2009)Cite this article

Patients with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and their unaffected relatives show white matter density and integrity reductions in the anterior limb of the internal capsule (ALIC).1, 2 These deficits have been recently localized to the anterior thalamic radiation (ATR) using tractography.3 Neuregulin-1 (NRG1) is a gene associated with risk for schizophrenia4 and bipolar disorder5 as well as with white matter density and integrity in the medial prefrontal cortex6 and the ALIC.7 In this study, tractography reveals that these NRG1 effects can also be localized to the ATR.

The genotypes of two NRG1 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), SNP8NRG243177 and SNP8NRG221533, were determined from the DNA of 34 healthy control subjects using PCR (TaqMan, AssayByDesign). The number of subjects in each genotype group did not significantly deviate from the Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium for either SNP (TT=6, CT=12, CC=16; TT=17, CT=13, CC=4; Pearson's χ2-tests: P=0.19; P=0.54). As expected, the SNPs were in linkage disequilibrium (Pearson's χ2-test=41.16, P<0.00001, D'=0.9). The genotype groups did not significantly differ with respect to sex, age, IQ (NART), alcohol consumption or education level. No subjects had a history of harmful substance misuse. The study was approved by the local ethics committee and all participants gave written informed consent.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Psychiatry, Royal Edinburgh Hospital, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK

    E Sprooten, G K S Lymer, J McKirdy, E C Johnstone, S M Lawrie, J Hall & A M McIntosh

  2. Division of Clinical Neurosciences, Western General Hospital, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK

    G K S Lymer & S Muñoz Maniega

  3. Radiology and Physics Unit, UCL Institute of Child Health, London, UK

    J D Clayden

  4. Medical and Radiological Sciences (Medical Physics), Western General Hospital, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK

    M E Bastin

  5. Medical Genetics Section, Edinburgh University Centre for Molecular Medicine, Edinburgh, UK

    D Porteous

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  1. E Sprooten
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  2. G K S Lymer
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  3. S Muñoz Maniega
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Correspondence to E Sprooten.

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Supplementary Information accompanies the paper on the Molecular Psychiatry website (http://www.nature.com/mp)

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Sprooten, E., Lymer, G., Maniega, S. et al. The relationship of anterior thalamic radiation integrity to psychosis risk associated neuregulin-1 variants. Mol Psychiatry 14, 237–238 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1038/mp.2008.136

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