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Expanded CAG/CTG Repeats in Schizophrenia

A Study of Clinical Correlates

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

Alastair G. Cardno ,
Kieran C. Murphy ,
Lisa A. Jones ,
Carol A. Guy ,
Philip Asherson ,
Maria H. P. De Azevedo ,
Isabel M. O. Da Cruz Coelho ,
Antonio J. F. De Macedo e Santos ,
Carlos N. Pato  and
Peter McGuffin
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Alastair G. Cardno*
Affiliation:
University of Wales College of Medicine, Cardiff
Kieran C. Murphy
Affiliation:
University of Wales College of Medicine, Cardiff
Lisa A. Jones
Affiliation:
University of Wales College of Medicine, Cardiff
Carol A. Guy
Affiliation:
University of Wales College of Medicine, Cardiff
Philip Asherson
Affiliation:
University of Wales College of Medicine, Cardiff
Maria H. P. De Azevedo
Affiliation:
Universidade de Coimbra, Portugal
Isabel M. O. Da Cruz Coelho
Affiliation:
Universidade de Coimbra, Portugal
Antonio J. F. De Macedo e Santos
Affiliation:
Universidade de Coimbra, Portugal
Carlos N. Pato
Affiliation:
Universidade de Coimbra, Portugal
Peter McGuffin
Affiliation:
University of Wales College of Medicine, Cardiff
Michael J. Owen
Affiliation:
University of Wales College of Medicine, Cardiff
Michael C. O'Donovan
Affiliation:
University of Wales College of Medicine, Cardiff
*
Dr A. Cardno, Department of Psychological Medicine, University of Wales College of Medicine, Heath Park, Cardiff CF4 4XN, UK
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Abstract

Background

Schizophrenia is associated with expanded CAG/CTG trinucleotide repeats. We wished to determine whether the presence of such expansions correlated with specific subsyndromes or other clinical features of schizophrenia.

Method

Seventy patients from England and Wales and 44 patients from Portugal with a DSM–III–R diagnosis of schizophrenia were rated on the opcrit checklist Patients' maximum CAG/CTG repeat length was measured using repeat expansion detection (RED). Significant differences were sought for repeat lengths in subjects categorised according to dimensional and categorical schizophrenia subsyndromes, affective episodes, individual symptoms, and a range of demographic variables.

Results

Maximum CAG/CTG repeat length did not differ significantly for any of the clinical or demographic variables studied.

Conclusion

There are no subsyndromes or other clinical features of schizophrenia associated with CAG/CTG repeat expansion. Therefore, the identification of the gene(s) that contain expanded CAG/CTG repeats and which are associated with schizophrenia is unlikely to be facilitated at present by using any subsyndromes of schizophrenia as phenotypes.

Type
Papers
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 169 , Issue 6 , December 1996 , pp. 766 - 771
Copyright
Copyright © 1996 The Royal College of Psychiatrists 

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