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ZNF804A and social cognition in patients with schizophrenia and healthy controls

Molecular Psychiatry volume 17, pages 118–119 (2012)Cite this article

The neural mechanism by which zinc-finger protein gene ZNF804A increases the risk of psychosis is unclear. Following a recent ‘theory of mind’ study, we tested the hypothesis that risk is partly mediated by an effect on social cognition. We found that ZNF804A was significantly associated with variation in interpersonal attributions in healthy participants but not in patients.

Following both meta-analysis and extensive re-sequencing, the single nucleotide polymorphism rs1344706, located in intron 2 of the zinc-finger protein gene ZNF804A, continues to be the common variant most strongly associated with schizophrenia risk (P=1.1 × 10–13).1 Functional effects of this variant on both protein expression2 and altered DNA–protein interaction3 have been reported, although the neural mechanism by which this contributes to schizophrenia risk is unclear. Although the risk ‘A’ allele at rs1344706 has been associated with altered functional brain connectivity,4 so far these alterations do not appear to be strongly associated with deficits in neuropsychological performance; if anything the opposite has been the case.5 Recently, a functional magnetic resonance imaging study of healthy participants suggested ZNF804A's contribution to schizophrenia risk may alternatively be mediated via effects on aspects of social cognition, particularly theory of mind.6

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry, Neuropsychiatric Genetics Research Group, Institute of Molecular Medicine and Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland

    A Hargreaves, D W Morris, E Rose, C Fahey, S Moore, E Cummings, D Tropea, M Gill, A Corvin & G Donohoe

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  1. A Hargreaves
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  2. D W Morris
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  3. E Rose
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  4. C Fahey
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  5. S Moore
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  6. E Cummings
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  7. D Tropea
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  8. M Gill
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  9. A Corvin
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  10. G Donohoe
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Correspondence to G Donohoe.

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The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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Hargreaves, A., Morris, D., Rose, E. et al. ZNF804A and social cognition in patients with schizophrenia and healthy controls. Mol Psychiatry 17, 118–119 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1038/mp.2011.102

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