Clinical trial NCT00001486: Genetic Study of Schizophrenia
Official title: A Neurobiological Investigation of Patients With Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders and Their Siblings
Study type: OBSERVATIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Conditions: Schizoaffective Disorder
Schizophrenia
Keywords: Negative Symptoms
Brain Scans
Hallucinations
Delusions
Psychosis and Schizophrenia
Natural History
Lead sponsor: National Institutes of Health Clinical Center (CC)
Sponsor class: NIH
Collaborators: name: National Institutes of Health Clinical Center (CC)
First posted: 1999-11-04
Enrollment: 4914
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 18
Maximum age (years): 55
Standard ages: ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: no
Observational model: CASE_CONTROL
Time perspective: OTHER
Sampling method: PROBABILITY_SAMPLE
Study population: Probands, healthy controls, siblings, parents

Brief summary: This large ongoing study at NIMH investigates the neurobiology of schizophrenia by identifying susceptibility genes, evaluating their impact on brain function to better understand how to treat and prevent this illness.

Detailed description: Objective: Schizophrenia is a complex genetic disorder which likely involves many genes each producing a slight increase in risk. Finding weak-acting genes in complex genetic disorders has been challenging and will likely require a number of approaches and large clinical samples. Several strategies have emerged recently that appear to markedly improve the power of genetic studies for detecting such genes. These include using association (rather than linkage) and using intermediate phenotypes in addition to DMS-IV diagnosis.

Study Population: We propose to take advantage of these techniques by studying quantitative traits related to schizophrenia in patients, siblings, and controls.

Design: We will employ an association design, rather than linkage. Traits will include quantifiable neurobiological variables that have been implicated previously as possible phenotypes related to schizophrenia. These include tests of attention and cognition.

Outcome Measure: We will use several statistical methods to show that specific genetic polymorphisms affect these phenotypes, including case control and family based association studies.

Eligibility criteria: * INCLUSION/EXCLUSION CRITERIA:

Inclusion criteria for Siblings (probands and unaffected siblings):

* Probands must have a DSM IV-R diagnosis of schizophrenia,schizoaffective disorder, psychosis N.O.S. or schizophreniform disorder.
* Probands and Siblings must be between the ages of 18 and 55
* Probands and Siblings must be free of major medical illnesses, but may have controlled hypertension, thyroid disease, or diabetes.
* Probands and Siblings must have the cognitive ability to consent for themselves. Those who are judged to have the cognitive ability to consent for themselves at the time of participation, but do not have the legal capacity to consent for themselves may participate if the legal guardian /Legal authorized representative (LAR) provides consent by signing the informed consent form.
* Fluency in English is required.

Exclusion Criteria for Siblings (probands and unaffected siblings):

* Seizure disorder, mental retardation, organic brain damage or other neurological disease.
* History of any (excepting nicotine-related) DSM5-defined moderate to severe substance use disorder (or DSM-IV-defined substance dependence).
* Cumulative lifetime history of any (excepting nicotine-related) DSM5-defined mild substance use disorder (or any DSM-IV-defined substance abuse), either in excess of 5 years total or not in remission for at least 6 months.
* Head trauma with loss of consciousness over 5 minutes from all but genetic sampling.
* Chemotherapy.
* NIMH employees/staff and their immediate family members will be excluded from the study per NIMH policy

Siblings who do not qualify for the 2-day or 1-day study, may participate in the limited phenotyping arm in which only a psychiatric interview and a blood draw for genetic analysis (SCID-DNA) will be performed, case control analysis or be included as part of a trio (one parent, one sibling, one patient) to study genetic transmission from parents to offsprings.. All parents are eligible for the study.

Inclusion Criteria. Healthy Volunteers/Controls

To be eligible for this research study, healthy volunteers must be:

* Between the ages of 18 and 55
* Fluency in English is required

Healthy Controls Exclusion Criteria:

They will not be eligible if:

* They have history of DSM IV-R psychiatric diagnosis or severe chronic medical illness at the time of the study.
* They have a history of any (excepting nicotine-related) DSM5-defined moderate to severe substance use disorder (or DSM-IV-defined substance dependence).
* They have a cumulative lifetime history of any (excepting nicotine-related) DSM5-defined mild substance use disorder (or any DSM-IV-defined substance abuse), either in excess of 5 years total or not in remission for at least 6 months.
* They may not be eligible for the 2-day or 1-day study if they have a first-degree relative with history of schizophrenia spectrum disorders. However, they may be included in the SCID_DNA or case control analyses.
* Healthy volunteers must be free of learning disabilities.
* NIMH employees/staff and their immediate family members will be excluded from the study per NIMH policy.

Primary outcomes:
measure: Genetic Polymorphisms affect phenotypes
timeFrame: At time of study participation
Secondary outcomes:
measure: PANSS, AIMS, GAF
timeFrame: At time of study participation
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Bethesda
country: United States
facility: National Institutes of Health Clinical Center
state: Maryland
Study officials:
affiliation: National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
name: Karen F Berman, M.D.
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References:
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citation: Holzman PS, Kringlen E, Levy DL, Haberman SJ. Deviant eye tracking in twins discordant for psychosis. A replication. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 1980 Jun;37(6):627-31. doi: 10.1001/archpsyc.1980.01780190025002.
citation: Page SC, Sripathy SR, Farinelli F, Ye Z, Wang Y, Hiler DJ, Pattie EA, Nguyen CV, Tippani M, Moses RL, Chen HY, Tran MN, Eagles NJ, Stolz JM, Catallini JL 2nd, Soudry OR, Dickinson D, Berman KF, Apud JA, Weinberger DR, Martinowich K, Jaffe AE, Straub RE, Maher BJ. Electrophysiological measures from human iPSC-derived neurons are associated with schizophrenia clinical status and predict individual cognitive performance. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2022 Jan 18;119(3):e2109395119. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2109395119.
citation: Ursini G, Punzi G, Langworthy BW, Chen Q, Xia K, Cornea EA, Goldman BD, Styner MA, Knickmeyer RC, Gilmore JH, Weinberger DR. Placental genomic risk scores and early neurodevelopmental outcomes. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2021 Feb 16;118(7):e2019789118. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2019789118.
citation: Toulopoulou T, Zhang X, Cherny S, Dickinson D, Berman KF, Straub RE, Sham P, Weinberger DR. Polygenic risk score increases schizophrenia liability through cognition-relevant pathways. Brain. 2019 Feb 1;142(2):471-485. doi: 10.1093/brain/awy279.
citation: Marenco S, Meyer C, van der Veen JW, Zhang Y, Kelly R, Shen J, Weinberger DR, Dickinson D, Berman KF. Role of gamma-amino-butyric acid in the dorsal anterior cingulate in age-associated changes in cognition. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2018 Oct;43(11):2285-2291. doi: 10.1038/s41386-018-0134-5. Epub 2018 Jul 3.