Neuregulin 1 as a Candidate Gene Influencing Schizotypal Personality Features or Sustained Attention in Adolescents

Objective. To examine the associations of Neuregulin 1 (NRG1) gene with schizotypal personality features and NRG1 gene with sustained attention deficit among junior high school students in Taipei.
Methods. Study subjects were 905 adolescents randomly selected from junior high schools in Taipei in 1996. Self-report questionnaires, the Perceptual Aberration Scale (PAS) and the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire (SPQ), and the Continuous Performance Test (CPT) were administered. DNA extracted from subjects’ mouthwashing, was used to type three SNPs in NRG1, SNP8NRG221533, rs3924999 and rs2954041, by using the method of matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionisation-time of flight mass spectrometry. We performed ANOVA for single-locus analyses and haplotype trend regression test for multi-locus analyses to determine the association between the three genetic variants and schizotypal personality and sustained attention.
Results. The PAS score, the SPQ total score and the Disorganization were significantly related to the SNP rs3924999, whereas sustained attention was not. In multi-locus analyses, haplotypes containing rs3924999 were associated with the PAS score and the SPQ total score. However, the relation was more significant between the PAS score and NRG1 rather than that between the SPQ total score and NRG1.
Conclusions. This is the first research on schizotypal personality and NRG1, and our finding was as positive as reported on schizophrenia. We concluded that NRG1 maybe the candidate gene for schizotypal personality features in the positive dimension.