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Regulation of α 7‐nicotinic receptor subunit and α 7‐like gene expression in the prefrontal cortex of patients with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia
Author(s) -
De Luca V.,
Likhodi O.,
Van Tol H. H. M.,
Kennedy J. L.,
Wong A. H. C.
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
acta psychiatrica scandinavica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.849
H-Index - 146
eISSN - 1600-0447
pISSN - 0001-690X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1600-0447.2006.00785.x
Subject(s) - bipolar disorder , schizophrenia (object oriented programming) , prefrontal cortex , nicotinic acetylcholine receptor , biology , psychology , gene expression , gene , nicotinic agonist , receptor , neuroscience , genetics , psychiatry , cognition
Objective: The α 7‐nicotinic receptor subunit gene (CHRNA7) is located at chromosome 15q13–14, a region previously linked with schizophrenia. Genetic association and mRNA expression studies also implicate CHRNA7 in schizophrenia. The CHRNA7 gene has a partial duplication that constitutes the α 7‐like nicotinic receptor gene (CHRFAM7A). We hypothesized that major psychoses could affect the expression of both CHRNA7 and CHRFAM7A. Method: CHRNA7 and CHRFAM7A mRNA levels were measured in postmortem prefrontal cortex (donated by the Stanley Foundation) from subjects with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and unaffected controls ( n = 35 each). Results: The mRNA levels of alpha7 and α 7‐like genes have a positive correlation overall ( r = 0.25; P = 0.009), however, there is no significant difference in the expression of CHRNA7 among the three diagnostic groups. Conclusion: This correlation is driven by the bipolar group ( r = 0.43; P = 0.009), and is absent in schizophrenia and unaffected controls, suggesting an alteration in the CHRNA7:CHRFAM7A ratio in bipolar disorder.