METHYLENETETRAHYDROFOLATE REDUCTASE VARIANT AND SCHIZOPHRENIA DEPRESSION/

Patients with methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) deficiency o ften show psychiatric manifestations, Since a common variant of the MT HFR gene, T677(Ala), responsible for the thermolabile MTHFR with less than 50% specific MTHFR activity, has been reported, we examined wheth er the T677 allele is associated with psychiatric disorders in an unre lated Japanese population consisting of 297 schizophrenics, 32 patient s with major depression, 40 patients with bipolar disorder, and 419 co ntrols, The genotype homozygous for the T677 allele was significantly frequently observed in schizophrenics with an odds ratio of 1.9 (P = 0 .0006), and in patients with major depression with an odds ratio of 2. 8 (P = 0.005), Our data suggest associations of the MTHFR gene variant with schizophrenia and depression in the Japanese. (C) 1997 Wiley-Lis s, Inc.