Increased Nigral SLC6A3 Activity in Schizophrenia Patients: Findings From the Toronto-McLean Cohorts.

ABSTRACT: SLC6A3, which encodes the primary regulator of extracellular dopamine (DA) concentration, the DA transporter, has been implicated in schizophrenia (SCZ). However, the details of its genetic effect on risk remain largely unknown. The purpose of this candidate gene study was to identify a specificSLC6A3activity associated with SCZ by using functional genetic approaches. We first examined gene activity in DA neurons isolated from case-control postmortem nigral tissue and found that the averageSLC6A3mRNA level in controls was only 0.37-fold of that in cases (P= .0034). To understand this expression difference, we examined the association of 10 genetic markers, mostly located in the promoter region, with SCZ in 1717 subjects collected from Toronto and McLean cohorts, including 881 controls and

SUBMITTER: Kennedy JL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4838105 | biostudies-literature | 2016 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature