1. ¹Research Institute of Biological Psychiatry, Copenhagen University Hospital, H:S Sct. Hans Hospital, Roskilde, Denmark
2. ²University Department of Psychiatry, H:S Bispebjerg Hospital, København NV, Denmark
3. ³Faculty of Medicine, University of Copenhagen, København N, Denmark
4. ⁴University Department of Psychiatry, H:S Amager Hospital, København S, Denmark
5. ⁵University Department of Psychiatry, H:S Frederiksberg Hospital, Frederiksberg, Denmark
6. ⁶University Department of Clinical Biochemistry, H:S Hvidovre Hospital, Hvidovre, Denmark
7. ⁷University Department of Psychiatry, H:S Hvidovre Hospital, Hvidovre, Denmark

Correspondence: Dr T Werge, Research Institute of Biological Psychiatry, H:S Sct. Hans Hospital, Boserupvej 2, DK-4000 Roskilde, Denmark. E-mail: thomas.werge@shh.hosp.dk

Received 4 April 2005; Revised 7 October 2005; Accepted 11 October 2005; Published online 10 January 2006.

Abstract

Accumulating evidence implicates deficiencies in apolipoprotein D (ApoD) function and arachidonic acid signaling in schizophrenic disorders. We addressed two hypotheses in relation to ApoD: first, polymorphisms in the ApoD gene confer susceptibility to or are markers of disease, and, second, genetic variation in the ApoD is associated with long-term clinical outcome to antipsychotic treatment. We genotyped two single-nucleotide polymorphisms in the ApoD gene in 343 chronic patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders (ICD-10) and 346 control subjects of Danish origin. We did not find ApoD alleles, genotypes or haplotypes to be associated with disease. However, we did find that long-term clinical outcome was associated with the ApoD polymorphism rs7659 (P=0.041) following adjustment for lifetime clinical global impression, age at first admission and gender.