Age at onset of schizophrenia: interaction between brain-derived neurotrophic factor and dopamine D3 receptor gene variants

Neuroreport. 2005 Aug 22;16(12):1407-10. doi: 10.1097/01.wnr.0000175245.58708.6b.

Abstract

One of the main features of schizophrenia is its age at onset in early adulthood. Dopaminergic dysregulation is the most documented neurobiological factor that may be involved in triggering schizophrenia. Recent findings on neurodevelopmental processes show that the brain-derived neurotrophic factor plays a critical role in the development of mesolimbic dopaminergic-related systems and regulates the expression of dopamine D3 receptors. In this study, we examine whether an interaction between dopamine D3 receptors and brain-derived neurotrophic factor gene variants influences age at onset in patients with schizophrenia. Our findings show that this gene-gene interaction was significantly associated with an earlier emergence of psychosis by 3 years.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Age of Onset*
  • Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor / genetics*
  • Chi-Square Distribution
  • Female
  • Genetic Variation*
  • Glycine / genetics
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Methionine / genetics
  • Polymorphism, Genetic
  • RNA, Messenger / biosynthesis
  • Receptors, Dopamine D2 / genetics*
  • Receptors, Dopamine D3
  • Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction / methods
  • Schizophrenia / genetics*
  • Serine / genetics
  • Valine / genetics

Substances

  • Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor
  • DRD3 protein, human
  • RNA, Messenger
  • Receptors, Dopamine D2
  • Receptors, Dopamine D3
  • Serine
  • Methionine
  • Valine
  • Glycine