Analysis of clozapine response and polymorphisms of the dopamine D4 receptor gene (DRD4) in schizophrenic patients
- Institute of Psychiatry, De Crespigny, London (United Kingdom); and others
We have examined the hypothesis that a variable number of tandem repeats in the third cytoplasmic loop of the dopamine D4 receptor influences clinical response to clozapine using a sample of 189 schizophrenic patients. Alleles of the 48-bp repeat, which range from two to ten copies in the normal human population, were analysed by the polymerase chain reaction using genomic DNA as template. Association between these alleles and response to clozapine was tested using the difference in pre- and post-treatment GAS scores as a measure of response. We found no statistically significant variation between genotypic groups and response by analysis of variance. We conclude that the variation of the number of 48-bp repeats alone does not determine response to clozapine. Larger studies are underway to determine if there is a more subtle relationship with sequence variation within the repeats or at other polymorphic sites within the gene that may provide evidence for a component of clozapine`s action being at D4 receptors. 28 refs., 1 fig., 3 tabs.
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- OSTI ID:
- 254408
- Journal Information:
- American Journal of Medical Genetics, Vol. 60, Issue 6; Other Information: PBD: 18 Dec 1995
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Repeat length variation in the dopamine D4 receptor gene shows no evidence of association with schizophrenia
Identification of a null mutation in the human dopamine D4 receptor gene