No Evidence for Linkage between Chromosome 5 Markers and Schizophrenia

Abstract

Linkage between chromosome 5 markers and schizophrenia has been proposed for a small number of Icelandic and English families. Three subsequent reports have failed to replicate this report. To increase the number of tested kindreds, we collected seven North American families with schizophrenia and genotyped them at 4 loci that span the region 5p13–5q11–14, including the two markers used in the single positive linkage report. The data were analyzed with models of affection status similar to those utilized in the positive report. We observed no evidence of linkage between these markers and psychiatric disorders, regardless of the definition of affection status. Additionally, we can exclude most of the region for linkage with schizophrenia in these families. This and other negative reports of linkage between schizophrenia and chromosome 5 markers suggest that genetic defects in this region are rarely, if ever, etiologically related to schizophrenia.

Chromosomal abnormalities and mental illness

“…32 Initial positive linkage findings 10 were not replicated. 33 In another report, a patient with schizophrenia, dysmorphic features, moderate learning disability and an interstitial deletion at 5q22 was described. 34 Two schizophrenia linkage studies 35,36 suggest involvement in the region 5q22-31.…”

Linkage and associated studies of schizophrenia

“…Numerous replication studies failed to support for this finding [Aschauer et al, 1990] and a combined reanalysis of published data effectively ruled out straightforward linkage heterogeneity [Kennedy et al, 1988 al., 1990; Crowe et al, 1991;Campion et al, 1992;Macciardi et al, 1992]. Recently, however, there has been renewed interest in chromosome 5, although in two separate locations, one close to, and the other distant from, that reported by Sherrington et al These are shown in Figure 5.…”

Genome Scan for Susceptibility Loci for Schizophrenia

“…The disadvantage of our small sample size is outweighted by it being a homogenous ethnic and diagnostic population from a small defined region in eastern part of Austria, recruited by scientists experienced in linkage studies [27][28][29].…”