Brain Expressed microRNAs Implicated in Schizophrenia Etiology
2007

Brain-Expressed microRNAs and Schizophrenia

Sample size: 420 publication 10 minutes Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Thomas Hansen, Line Olsen, Morten Lindow, Klaus D. Jakobsen, Henrik Ullum, Erik Jonsson, Ole A. Andreassen, Srdjan Djurovic, Ingrid Melle, Ingrid Agartz, Håkan Hall, Sally Timm, August G. Wang, Thomas Werge

Primary Institution: Research Institute of Biological Psychiatry, Sct. Hans Hospital, Roskilde, Denmark

Hypothesis

Are genetic variants of brain-expressed microRNAs associated with schizophrenia?

Conclusion

The study found nominal associations between specific brain-expressed microRNAs and schizophrenia.

Supporting Evidence

  • Two SNPs showed nominal significant allelic association to schizophrenia.
  • Eight of the 15 genes predicted to be regulated by the identified miRNAs are connected in a network.
  • Previous studies have linked some of these genes to schizophrenia.

Takeaway

This study looked at tiny molecules in the brain that might be linked to schizophrenia, and found some that could be important.

Methodology

A case-control study design was used to analyze SNPs in brain-expressed miRNAs across three Scandinavian samples.

Potential Biases

The study may be affected by ethnic admixture and differences in clinical characteristics among the samples.

Limitations

The associations were not consistent across all samples, indicating potential heterogeneity.

Participant Demographics

The study included schizophrenia patients and healthy controls from Denmark, Sweden, and Norway, with varying ages and ethnic backgrounds.

Statistical Information

P-Value

0.0021

Confidence Interval

1.03–3.36

Statistical Significance

p<0.05

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1371/journal.pone.0000873

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