Genetic Research in Schizophrenia Using DNA Markers and Clinical Phenotypes

Genetic Research in Schizophrenia Using DNA Markers and Clinical Phenotypes in Individuals Extensively Diagnosed and Genotyped

Schizophrenia has long been known to be an illness with significant evidence for a genetic predisposition. The purpose of this study is to determine the genetic abnormalities that cause childhood and adult onset schizophrenia.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Schizophrenia
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Diagnostic

Detailed Description

It is known from genetic linkage and gene expression studies that the alpha 7 nicotinic receptor gene is abnormally expressed in people with schizophrenia. The immediate objectives of this proposal support the long-term objectives of a comprehensive description of the pathophysiology of schizophrenia and new drug treatments by carefully defining the physiological genotype-phenotype relationship for a single candidate gene. Subjects and family members with a mental illness or who appear to have a mental illness will be asked to undergo an interview, perform some mental tests and have a blood, urine, and saliva sample taken one time.

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Actual): 538

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Colorado
    • Denver, Colorado, United States, 80220
      • VA Eastern Colorado Health Care System, Denver

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 1 year to 79 years (ADULT, OLDER_ADULT, CHILD)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Persons with schizophrenia, their relatives, and controls

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Individuals thought to have schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder, be the parent of such an individual, or be in the matched control group of unrelated individuals not thought to have schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder

Exclusion Criteria:

• Unable to give informed consent;
• Psychotic disorder judged to be secondary to substance abuse, psychotic disorder that appears to be secondary to a known medical or neurological disorder, or severe mental retardation

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Number of groups / cohorts

1

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort	Intervention / Treatment
Diagnostic; A diagnostic was performed	Other: Diagnostic; Diagnostic evaluation for schizophrenia. Schizophrenia includes schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Genetic Linkage	Log of the Odds for Linkage, a standard genetic analysis metric. The number shown as a result is from a polymorphism in the promoter of the gene for the alpha7 nicotinic receptor on chromosome. Its presence in the individuals in this study, considering all three groups in one analysis, is compared to what of P50 sensory gating. P50 is a Positive wave in scalp-recorded auditory evoked potential that occurs 50 msec after the sound stimulus. P50 sensory gating is the decrement in this wave to the second of repeated sounds. The log of the odds is the common logarithm of the ratio of the odds that the gene polymorphism and P50 sensory gating are associated versus the odds that they are both distributed in the individuals at random. It is similar to the more common chi squared.	ten years
Heritability Coefficient	h squared which ranges from 0 to 1. This number is similar to the more standard Pearson's correlation coefficient, except that the variable, in this case P50 sensory gating, is correlated across the statuses: schizophrenia proband (has the illness), schizophrenia relative (not ill but relative of someone who is), or control (not ill and has no known ill relative, P50 is a Positive wave in scalp-recorded auditory evoked potential that occurs 50 msec after the sound stimulus. P50 sensory gating is the decrement in this wave to the second of repeated sounds.	5 years
Log of the ODDS of Linkage	Log of the ODDS ratio of Linkage divided by the ODDS of no linkage from a maximum likelihood analysis conducted using the statistical program LINKAGE	1 day

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: VA Office of Research and Development

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: January 1, 2004
• Primary Completion (ACTUAL): December 1, 2008
• Study Completion (ACTUAL): December 1, 2008

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: April 14, 2005
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 14, 2005
• First Posted (ESTIMATE): April 15, 2005

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (ESTIMATE): January 7, 2016
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 2, 2015
• Last Verified: December 1, 2015

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: schizophrenia
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Mental Disorders; Schizophrenia Spectrum and Other Psychotic Disorders; Schizophrenia
• Other Study ID Numbers: ADRD-007-03S