Novel Schizophrenia Risk Gene TCF4 Influences Verbal Learning and Memory Functioning in Schizophrenia Patients

Background: Recently, a role of the transcription factor 4 (TCF4)
gene in schizophrenia has been reported in a large genome-wide
association study. It has been hypothesized that TCF4 affects
normal brain development and TCF4 has been related to different
forms of neurodevelopmental disorders. Schizophrenia patients
exhibit strong impairments of verbal declarative memory (VDM)
functions. Thus, we hypothesized that the disease-associated C
allele of the rs9960767 polymorphism of the TCF4 gene led to
impaired VDM functioning in schizophrenia patients. Method: The
TCF4 variant was genotyped in 401 schizophrenia patients. VDM
functioning was measured using the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning
Test (RAVLT). Results: Carriers of the C allele were less impaired
in recognition compared to those carrying the AA genotype (13.76
vs. 13.06; p = 0.049). Moreover, a trend toward higher scores in
patients with the risk allele was found for delayed recall (10.24
vs. 9.41; p = 0.088). The TCF4 genotype did not influence
intelligence or RAVLT immediate recall or total verbal learning.
Conclusion: VDM function is influenced by the TCF4 gene in
schizophrenia patients. However, the elevated risk for
schizophrenia is not conferred by TCF4-mediated VDM impairment.
Copyright (C) 2011 S. Karger AG, Basel