The following is a summary of “Dopamine signaling enriched striatal gene set predicts striatal dopamine synthesis and physiological activity in vivo,” published in the April 2024 issue of Psychiatry by Sportelli et al.
The genetic basis of schizophrenia involves multiple pathways related to synaptic function, but how these genetic risks lead to the disorder remains unclear.
Researchers conducted a retrospective study to understand how genetic risk factors for schizophrenia influence specific molecular pathways and neural processes related to dopamine in the brain.
They used tensor decomposition to analyze gene co-expression in brain samples from deceased individuals. The caudate nucleus, hippocampus, and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex of 358 individuals were focused on identifying genes associated with schizophrenia risk and clinical symptoms.
The results showed that a specific set of genes expressed in the caudate nucleus was linked to both genetic risk and clinical symptoms of schizophrenia. This particular set was involved in dopaminergic pathways. Higher genetic risk scores for schizophrenia associated with this gene set predicted increased dopamine synthesis in the striatum and striatal activation during reward anticipation.
Investigators concluded that genetic risk for schizophrenia affects dopamine-related brain functions while shedding light on potential mechanisms underlying the disorder.
Source: nature.com/articles/s41467-024-47456-5
