Multivariate alterations in insula-Medial prefrontal cortex linked to genetics in 12q24 in schizophrenia

• Authors: Wenhao Jiang, Georgia State University; Kelly Rootes-Murdy, Georgia State University; Jiayu Chen, Georgia State University; Nora Perrone-Bizzozero, University of New Mexico; Vince Calhoun, Emory University; Theo GM van Erp, University of California Irvine; Stefan Ehrlich, Massachusetts General Hospital; Ingrid Agartz, University of Oslo; Erik G Jönsson, University of Oslo; Ole A Andreassen, University of Oslo; Lei Wang, Ohio State Wexner Medical Center; Godfrey D Pearlson, Yale University; David C Glahn, Boston Childrens Hospital; Elliot Hong, University of Maryland; Jingyu Liu, Georgia State University; Jessica A Turner, Georgia State University
• Journal Title: PSYCHIATRY RESEARCH
• Volume: Volume 306
• Publisher: ELSEVIER IRELAND LTD | 2021-10-14, Pages 114237-114237
• Type of Work: Article | Post-print: After Peer Review
• Publisher DOI: http://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2021.114237
• Subjects: Health Sciences, Mental Health; Psychology, Behavioral
• Keywords: Science & Technology; Life Sciences & Biomedicine; Psychiatry; Schizophrenia; QTL; Insula; MAJOR AFFECTIVE-DISORDER; BIPOLAR DISORDER; FAMILIAL COSEGREGATION; HERITABILITY; ASSOCIATION; MICROGLIA; NETWORK; DISEASE; AUTISM

Abstract

The direct effect of genetic variations on clinical phenotypes within schizophrenia (SZ) remains elusive. We examined the previously identified association of reduced gray matter concentration in the insula - medial prefrontal cortex and a quantitative trait locus located in 12q24 in a SZ dataset. The main analysis was performed on 1461 SNPs and 830 participants. The highest contributing SNPs were localized in five genes including TMEM119, which encodes a microglial marker, that is associated with neuroinflammation and Alzheimer's disease. The gene set in 12q4 may partially explain brain alterations in SZ, but they may also relate to other psychiatric and developmental disorders.