A Genome-wide Survey and Functional Brain Imaging Study Identify CTNNBL1 As a Memory-related Gene

Overview

Journal Mol Psychiatry

Specialties Molecular Biology
Psychiatry

Date 2011 Nov 23

PMID 22105620

Citations 17

Authors

A Papassotiropoulos

E Stefanova

C Vogler

L Gschwind

S Ackermann

K Spalek

B Rasch

A Heck

A Aerni

E Hanser

P Demougin

K-D Huynh

R Luechinger

M Klarhofer

I Novakovic

V Kostic

P Boesiger

K Scheffler

D J-F de Quervain

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Unbiased genome-wide screens combined with imaging data on brain function may identify novel molecular pathways related to human cognition. Here we performed a dense genome-wide screen to identify episodic memory-related gene variants. A genomic locus encoding the brain-expressed beta-catenin-like protein 1 (CTNNBL1) was significantly (P=7 × 10(-8)) associated with verbal memory performance in a cognitively healthy cohort from Switzerland (n=1073) and was replicated in a second cohort from Serbia (n=524; P=0.003). Gene expression studies showed CTNNBL1 genotype-dependent differences in beta-catenin-like protein 1 mRNA levels in the human cortex. Functional magnetic resonance imaging in 322 subjects detected CTNNBL1 genotype-dependent differences in memory-related brain activations. Converging evidence from independent experiments and different methodological approaches suggests a role for CTNNBL1 in human memory.

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