ASSESSMENT OF ASSOCIATION OF D3 DOPAMINE-RECEPTOR MSCI POLYMORPHISM WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA - ANALYSIS OF SYMPTOM RATINGS, FAMILY HISTORY, AGE AT ONSET, AND MOVEMENT-DISORDERS

Several studies have reported an association between schizophrenia and homozygosity for the MscI restriction site in exon 1 of the D3 dopami ne receptor gene, but other studies have failed to find this associati on, Recent reports have suggested that the association is most salient in male patients with a family history of schizophrenia, We examined this restriction site in a group of schizophrenic patients (n = 84) an d in normal controls (n = 77), Patients were subdivided according to d emographic and clinical features, particular attention being paid to m ovement disorders, No significant difference in allelic or genotypic d istribution was seen between the two groups. No association was seen b etween homozygosity and a positive family history, age at onset of ill ness, clinical subtype, negative symptom score, or movement disorder s cores. (C) 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.