SCHIZOPHRENIC PSYCHOSES AND THE CNTF NULL MUTATION

GENETIC susceptibility plays an important role in the development of s chizophrenic psychoses, and the neural maldevelopment hypothesis is su ggested by neuropathological and neuroimaging findings. We investigate d the association between a null mutation in the ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) gene and functional psychoses including schizophrenia an d schizoaffective disorder. The frequency of mutant allele was signifi cantly increased in patients with schizoaffective disorder, but not in those with schizophrenia in comparison with controls. The CNTF null m utation resulting in CNTF deficiency may confer potential susceptibili ty to schizoaffective disorder. (C) 1998 Rapid Science Ltd.