Disrupted in Schizophrenia 1 Genotype and Positive Symptoms in Schizophrenia

Background: Converging evidence has demonstrated an association between the Disrupted in Schizophrenia 1 (DISC1) gene and schizophrenia (SZ). Within the DISC1 gene, a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), Ser704Cys, has been associated with the structure and function of the hippocampus. Because positive symptoms in SZ have also been associated with hippocampal structure and function, we hypothesized that variation in a DISC1 haplotype containing Ser704Cys would be significantly associated with positive symptomatology in SZ. Methods: We tested for an association between variation in a haplotype block within the DISC1 gene containing Ser704Cys and lifetime history of positive symptoms in 199 Caucasian patients with SZ. Results: We detected significant associations between a DISC1 haplotype containing Ser704Cys and Ser704Cys genotype and lifetime severity of delusions in SZ. Conclusions: These data suggest that that the effect of DISC1 genetic variation might be associated with positive symptoms in patients with SZ.