Schizophrenia risk polymorphisms in the TCF4 gene interact with smoking in the modulation of auditory sensory gating.

ABSTRACT: Several polymorphisms of the transcription factor 4 (TCF4) have been shown to increase the risk for schizophrenia, particularly TCF4 rs9960767. This polymorphism is associated with impaired sensorimotor gating measured by prepulse inhibition--an established endophenotype of schizophrenia. We therefore investigated whether TCF4 polymorphisms also affect another proposed endophenotype of schizophrenia, namely sensory gating assessed by P50 suppression of the auditory evoked potential. Although sensorimotor gating and sensory gating are not identical, recent data suggest that they share genetic fundamentals. In a multicenter study at six academic institutions throughout Germany, we applied an auditory P50 suppression paradigm to 1,821 subjects (1,023 never-smokers, 798 smokers) randomly selec

SUBMITTER: Quednow BB 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3341057 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature