Genome-wide association analyses of symptom severity among clozapine-treated patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders.

Clozapine is the most effective antipsychotic for patients with treatment-resistant schizophrenia. However, response is highly variable and possible genetic underpinnings of this variability remain unknown. Here, we performed polygenic risk score (PRS) analyses to estimate the amount of variance in symptom severity among clozapine-treated patients explained by PRSs (R2) and examined the association between symptom severity and genotype-predicted CYP1A2, CYP2D6, and CYP2C19 enzyme activity. Genome-wide association (GWA) analyses were performed to explore loci associated with symptom severity. A multicenter cohort of 804 patients (after quality control N = 684) with schizophrenia spectrum disorder treated with clozapine were cross-sectionally assessed using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale and/or the Clinical Global Impression-Severity (CGI-S) scale. GWA and PRS regression analyses were conducted. Genotype-predicted CYP1A2, CYP2D6, and CYP2C19 enzyme activities were calculated. Schizophrenia-PRS was most significantly and positively associated with low symptom severity (p = 1.03 × 10-3; R2 = 1.85). Cross-disorder-PRS was also positively associated with lower CGI-S score (p = 0.01; R2 = 0.81). Compared to the lowest tertile, patients in the highest schizophrenia-PRS tertile had 1.94 times (p = 6.84×10-4) increased probability of low symptom severity. Higher genotype-predicted CYP2C19 enzyme activity was independently associated with lower symptom severity (p = 8.44×10-3). While no locus surpassed the genome-wide significance threshold, rs1923778 within NFIB showed a suggestive association (p = 3.78×10-7) with symptom severity. We show that high schizophrenia-PRS and genotype-predicted CYP2C19 enzyme activity are independently associated with lower symptom severity among individuals treated with clozapine. Our findings open avenues for future pharmacogenomic projects investigating the potential of PRS and genotype-predicted CYP-activity in schizophrenia.

Acute ethanol-induced changes in cerebral blood flow.

Using high-resolution single photon emission computed tomography, the authors studied changes in cerebral blood flow (CBF) in six healthy men after the men rapidly consumed intoxicating amounts of ethanol. When the subjects were given intravenous placebo before ethanol intake, regional CBF was significantly increased over baseline in the right prefrontal cortex, but no significant change in CBF was observed when the subjects received intravenous naloxone before ethanol intake. The results indicate that euphoria occurring during acute ethanol intake is associated with activation of the right prefrontal cortex and mediated through the endogenous opioid system.

Lack of association between the functional variant of the catechol-o-methyltransferase (COMT) gene and early-onset alcoholism associated with severe antisocial behavior.

Addictive drugs, including ethanol, increase the brain's dopaminergic transmission, and catechol-o-methyltransferase (COMT) enzyme has a crucial role in dopamine inactivation. A common functional polymorphism in the COMT gene results in a three- to four-fold variation in enzyme activity. In a previous study, we found an association between type 1 (with late-onset but without prominent antisocial behavior) alcoholism and the low activity allele of the COMT gene. In this work we analyzed whether the COMT polymorphism has any effect on the development of type 2 (with early-onset and habitual impulsive violent behavior) alcoholism. The COMT genotype was determined in 62 impulsive violent recidivist offenders with early-onset (type 2) alcoholism, 123 late-onset nonviolent (type 1) alcoholics, and 267 race and gender-matched controls. The allele and genotype frequencies of these groups were compared with each other and also with previously published data from 3,140 Finnish blood donors. The type 2 alcoholics did not differ from either the blood donors or the controls. The low activity (L) allele frequency was higher among type 1 alcoholics (chi(2) = 4.98, P = 0.026) when compared with type 2 cases. The odds ratio for type 1 alcoholism as compared with type 2 alcoholism for those subjects with the LL genotype versus the HH genotype was 3.0 (95% confidence interval 1.1-8.4, P = 0.017). The results suggest that COMT genotype has no major role in the development of early-onset alcoholism with severe antisocial behavior.

Suicidal behavior in patients with schizophrenia is related to COMT polymorphism.

A common functional polymorphism that results in a three- to four-fold difference in catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) enzyme activity has been related to psychiatric disorders such as ultra-ultra rapid cycling bipolar disorder, drug abuse and alcoholism (Lachman et al., 1996a; Karayiorgou et al., 1997; Vandenbergh et al., 1997; Papolos et al., 1998; Tiihonen et al., 1999). Several studies have also reported associations between the allele encoding the low enzyme activity COMT variant (L allele) and other-directed aggression (Strous et al., 1997; Lachman et al., 1998; Kotler et al., 1999) in schizophrenic and schizoaffective patients. The current study investigated whether the COMT L allele is also associated with suicide attempts in schizophrenic and schizoaffective patients. COMT genotypes were determined and history of suicide attempts was retrospectively investigated in a Finnish sample (n = 94) and a US sample (n = 54). Significant associations were observed between COMT genotype and suicide; specifically, history of violent suicide attempts. The COMT L allele was more frequent in subjects who had attempted suicide by violent means. These associations were significant in males but not females. These findings support a common neurobiological substrate for self- and other-directed aggression, and suggest that catecholaminergic alterations may contribute to these behaviors in schizophrenic and schizoaffective patients.

Increase in cerebral blood flow of right prefrontal cortex in man during orgasm.

The functional anatomy of human emotional responses has remained poorly understood, mainly because invasive experiments in humans are unacceptable due to ethical reasons. The new functional imaging techniques such as positron emission tomography and single photon emission computed tomography have made it possible to study the neurophysiology of living humans noninvasively. We studied the regional cerebral blood flow with semi-quantitative 99mTc-HMPAO single photon emission computed tomography in eight healthy right-handed heterosexual males during organism. The results showed decrease of cerebral blood flow during orgasm in all other cortical areas except in right prefrontal cortex, where the cerebral blood flow increased significantly (P < 0.005).

Imaging the structure of the striatum: a fractal approach to SPECT image interpretation.

The spatial pattern of striatal dopamine transporter density in the living human brain was tested by duplicate SPECT scans with [123I]PE2I, [123I]beta-CIT or [123I]beta-CIT-FP and striatal phantom measurements. The resolution-dependent spatial variation was calculated by the fractal analysis of SPECT images. This variation, which depends on the size of the region of interest, was described by the spatial dispersion i.e. the standard deviation of the count densities divided by the mean density. In each sub-region, the observed and methodological dispersions were computed, and the resulting spatial dispersion was calculated. The methodological dispersion is caused by the imaging resolution, flood field non-uniformity, count density, scatter, reconstruction errors and partial volume effects, whereas the spatial dispersion is based on the cerebral heterogeneity of the dopamine transporter density. Recognition of the normal variation in heterogeneity is important in evaluation of the striatal dopamine transporter density between controls and patients suffering from various neuropsychiatric disorders.

Association between the functional polymorphism of catechol-O-methyltransferase gene and alcohol consumption among social drinkers.

BACKGROUND: A common functional genetic polymorphism in the catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) gene (Val158 Met) results in 3- to 4-fold differences in COMT enzyme activity and dopamine inactivation rate. Previous studies have shown that type I alcoholism is more common among subjects with low activity COMT genotype (LL), compared with high activity (HH) or heterozygotic (LH) genotypes. METHODS: We studied alcohol consumption and the COMT genotype in middle-aged Finnish men (n 896), who represented an unselected ethnically homogenous population sample and reported using alcohol during the past year. Average alcohol use in pure ethanol (grams per week) was compared between subjects with LL genotype and subjects with LH or HH genotypes. RESULTS: Men with LL genotype (30% of all subjects) reported 27% higher weekly alcohol consumption compared with the two other genotype groups (p < 0.05). The difference remained statistically significant after a multivariate adjustment for sociodemographic factors and prior or existing diseases (p = 0.031). CONCLUSIONS: The results indicate that COMT polymorphism may contribute significantly to alcohol intake not only in alcoholics but also in a general male population.

Association between low activity serotonin transporter promoter genotype and early onset alcoholism with habitual impulsive violent behavior.

A common 44-base pair insertion/deletion polymorphism in the promoter region of the human serotonin transporter (5-HTT) gene has been observed to be associated with affective illness and anxiety-related traits. This biallelic functional polymorphism, designated long (L) and short (S), affects 5-HTT gene expression since the S promoter is less active than the L promoter. Since there is strong evidence of a disturbance in brain serotonergic transmission among antisocial, impulsive, and violent type 2 alcoholic subjects, we decided to test the hypothesis that the frequency of the S allele, which is associated with reduced 5-HTT gene expression, is higher among habitually violent type 2 alcoholics when compared with race and gender-matched healthy controls and non-violent late-onset (type 1) alcoholics. The 5-HTT promoter genotype was determined by a PCR-based method in 114 late onset (type 1) non-violent alcoholics, 51 impulsive violent recidivistic offenders with early onset alcoholism (type 2), and 54 healthy controls. All index subjects and controls were white Caucasian males of Finnish origin. The S allele frequency was higher among type 2 alcoholics compared with type 1 alcoholics (chi2 = 4.86, P = 0.028) and healthy controls (chi2 = 8.24, P = 0.004). The odds ratio for SS genotype vs LL genotype was 3.90, 95% Cl 1.37-11.11, P = 0.011 when type 2 alcoholics were compared with healthy controls. The results suggest that the 5-HTT 'S' promoter polymorphism is associated with an increased risk for early onset alcoholism associated with antisocial personality disorder and impulsive, habitually violent behavior.

Single-photon emission tomography imaging of monoamine transporters in impulsive violent behaviour.

Several studies have shown that impulsive violent and suicidal behaviour is associated with a central serotonin deficit, but until now it has not been possible to use laboratory tests with high sensitivity and specificity to study this kind of deficit or to localize the sites of serotonergic abnormalities in the living human brain. The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that monoamine transporter density in brain is decreased in subjects with impulsive violent behaviour. We studied serotonin (5-HT) and dopamine (DA) transporter specific binding in 52 subjects (21 impulsive violent offenders, 21 age- and sex-matched healthy controls, and ten non-violent alcoholic controls) with single-photon emission tomography (SPET) using iodine-123-labelled 2beta-carbomethoxy-3beta(4-iodophenyl)tropane ([123I]beta-CIT) as the tracer. The blind quantitative analysis revealed that the 5-HT specific binding of [123I]beta-CIT in the midbrain of violent offenders was lower than that in the healthy control subjects (P<0. 005; t test) or the non-violent alcoholics (P<0.05). The results imply that habitual impulsive aggressive behaviour in man is associated with a decrease in the 5-HT transporter density.

Association between the functional variant of the catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) gene and type 1 alcoholism.

Catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) is an enzyme which has a crucial role in the metabolism of dopamine. It has been suggested that a common functional genetic polymorphism in the COMT gene, which results in 3 to 4-fold difference in COMT enzyme activity, may contribute to the etiology of mental disorders such as bipolar disorder and alcoholism. Since ethanol-induced euphoria is associated with the rapid release of dopamine in limbic areas, it is conceivable that subjects who inherit the allele encoding the low activity COMT variant would have a relatively low dopamine inactivation rate, and therefore would be more vulnerable to the development of ethanol dependence. The aim of this study was to test this hypothesis among type 1 (late-onset) alcoholics. The COMT polymorphism was determined in two independent male late onset (type 1) alcoholic populations in Turku (n = 67) and Kuopio (n = 56). The high (H) and low (L) activity COMT genotype and allele frequencies were compared with previously published data from 3140 Finnish blood donors (general population) and 267 race- and gender-matched controls. The frequency of low activity allele (L) was markedly higher among the patients both in Turku (P = 0.023) and in Kuopio (P = 0.005) when compared with the general population. When all patients were compared with the general population (blood donors), the difference was even more significant (P = 0.0004). When genotypes of all alcoholics (n = 123) were compared with genotypes of matched controls, the odds ratio (OR) for alcoholism for those subjects having the LL genotype vs those with HH genotype was 2.51, 95% CI 1.22-5.19, P = 0.006. Also, L allele frequency was significantly higher among alcoholics when compared with controls (P = 0.009). The estimate for population etiological (attributable) fraction for the LL genotype in alcoholism was 13.3% (95% CI 2.3-25.7%). The results indicate that the COMT polymorphism contributes significantly to the development of late-onset alcoholism.

Pharmacokinetics and dosimetry of iodine-123 labelled PE2I in humans, a radioligand for dopamine transporter imaging.

The iodine-123 labelled selective ligand N-(3-iodoprop-2E-enyl)-2-beta-carbomethoxy-3beta-(4-methylphenyl) nortropane ([123I]PE2I) was evaluated as a probe for in vivo dopamine transporter imaging in the human brain. Six healthy subjects were imaged with a high-resolution single-photon emission tomography scanner. Striatal radioactivity peaked at 1 h after injection. The background radioactivity was low. The volume of distribution in the striatum was 94+/-24 ml/ml. The results were compared with those of [123I]beta-CIT imaging. There was no significant uptake of [123I]PE2I in serotonin-rich regions such as the midbrain, hypothalamus and anterior gingulus, suggesting that in vivo binding is specific for the dopamine transporter. One main polar metabolite of [123I]PE2I was found in plasma, and the parent plasma concentration decayed rapidly. Radiation exposure to the study subject is 0.022+/-0.004 mSv/MBq (effective dose). The preliminary results suggest that [123I]PE2I is a selective SPET ligand for imaging striatal dopamine transporter density.