Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2020 Mar 20:16:771-780.
doi: 10.2147/NDT.S235675. eCollection 2020.

Genetic Effects of DISC1 and G72 (DAOA) on Visual Learning of Patients with Schizophrenia

Jane Pei-Chen Chang #  1 , Kuo-Hao Huang #  1 , Chieh-Hsin Lin  2   3 , Hsien-Yuan Lane #  1   3   4
Affiliations

Genetic Effects of DISC1 and G72 (DAOA) on Visual Learning of Patients with Schizophrenia

Jane Pei-Chen Chang et al. Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat. .

Abstract

Background: Visual learning plays an important role in general populations and patients with schizophrenia. Genetic influences on visual learning remain unknown. Two functional single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), Ser704Cys of the DISC1 gene and M24 (rs1421292) of the G72 gene, are strongly associated with pathogenesis and pathophysiology of schizophrenia. This study examined these two SNPs' effects on visual learning in schizophrenia patients.

Methods: Two hundred seventy-one patients (mean age, 37.0 years [SD = 9.3]; 159 men) with chronic schizophrenia were genotyped for the DISC1 Ser704Cys and G72 M24 SNPs and assessed for visual learning with Visual Reproduction II (delayed reproduction) of Wechsler Memory Scale - III (WMS-III). For comparison, verbal learning (using Word list II of WMS-III) and attention (by Continuous Performance Test) were also measured.

Results: The DISC1 Ser carriers excelled DISC1 Cys/Cys homozygotes in visual learning (p=0.004, effect size: 0.43), but not in other cognitive functions. G72 M24 A-allele carriers and G72 M24 T/T homozygotes performed similarly (effect size: 0.07). In SNP-SNP interaction analysis, the patients with Ser carrier_T/T had better visual learning than those with Cys/Cys_T/T (p=0.004, effect size: 0.70) and those with Cys/Cys_A-allele carrier (p=0.003, effect size: 0.65). Education had a positive effect (p=0.007), while negative symptoms had a negative effect (p<0.001) on visual learning.

Conclusion: The findings suggest that genetic variations in DISC1 Ser704Cys and G72 M24 affect visual learning in schizophrenia patients. The effect sizes of SNP-SNP interaction surpassed the sum (0.50) of effect sizes from two individual genes, suggesting synergistic DISC1-G72 interaction.

Keywords: DISC1; G72; attention; schizophrenia; visual and verbal learning.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

All authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest in this work.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Influences of DISC1 Ser704Cy genotypes, G72 M24 (rs1421292) genotypes, and DISC1 Ser704Cys_G72 M24 interactions on visual learning, represented by means of Visual Reproduction II of Wechsler Memory Scale – III. **p< 0.01.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Effect sizes of the DISC1 genotype, G72 genotype, and DISC1_G72 interactions on visual learning, represented by Visual Reproduction II Wechsler Memory Scale – III. The dotted lines represent the sum of the effect sizes of the DISC1 and G72 individually. The DISC1 Ser carriers excelled DISC1 Cys/Cys homozygotes in visual learning (p=0.004, effect size: 0.43). Meanwhile, G72 M24 A-allele carriers and G72 M24 T/T homozygotes performed similarly (effect size: 0.07). In interaction analyses, the patients with Ser carrier_T/T had better visual learning than those with Cys/Cys_T/T (p= 0.004, effect size: 0.70) and those with Cys/Cys _A-allele carrier (p= 0.003, effect size: 0.65). Therefore, the effect sizes (0.70 and 0.65) of the DISC1_G72 interactions were larger than the sum (0.50 = 0.43 + 0.07) of the effect sizes of DISC1 and G72 individually, suggesting that the interactive gene effect of DISC1-G72 was more than addition.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Ko PC, Ally BA. Visual cognition in Alzheimer’s disease and its functional implications In: The Clinical Spectrum of Alzheimer’s Disease-The Charge Toward Comprehensive Diagnostic and Therapeutic Strategies. IntechOpen; 2011.
    1. O’leary DS, Flaum M, Kesler ML, Flashman LA, Arndt S, Andreasen NC. Cognitive correlates of the negative, disorganized, and psychotic symptom dimensions of schizophrenia. J Neuropsychiatry Clin Neurosci. 2000;12:4–15. doi:10.1176/jnp.12.1.4 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Lo CH, Tsai GE, Liao CH, et al. Emotional management and 5-HT2A receptor gene variance in patients with schizophrenia. Biol Psychol. 2010;83:79–83. doi:10.1016/j.biopsycho.2009.11.002 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Hennah W, Tuulio-henriksson A, Paunio T, et al. A haplotype within the DISC1 gene is associated with visual memory functions in families with a high density of schizophrenia. Mol Psychiatry. 2005;10:1097–1103. doi:10.1038/sj.mp.4001731 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Seidman LJ, Lanca M, Kremen WS, Faraone SV, Tsuang MT. Organizational and visual memory deficits in schizophrenia and bipolar psychoses using the Rey-Osterrieth complex figure: effects of duration of illness. J Clin Exp Neuropsychol. 2003;25:949–964. doi:10.1076/jcen.25.7.949.16482 - DOI - PubMed