Trend for an association between schizophrenia and D3S1310, a marker in proximity to the dopamine D3 receptor gene

There is considerable controversy regarding a putative association between schizophrenia and a biallelic BalI polymorphism in the first exon of the do pamine D3 receptor gene (DRD3), although meta-analyses of published data su ggest an association. If such an association exists, it may be detectable a t markers physically close to DRD3. Accordingly,we conducted a case-control association study using D3S1310, a short tandem repeal polymorphism-locate d approximately 700 kb;telomeric to DRD3 on chromosome 3q13.3. The subjects were Swedish patients with schizophrenia (DSM III-R criteria, n = 110) and screened adult controls (n = 83). A trend for a negative association with the 141 bp allele was detected (chi(2) = 7.6, d.f. = 1, P = 0.006; odds rat io 0.46, 95% confidence intervals 0.26, 0.81), However, following correctio ns for multiple comparisons using subgroups (n = 15) the difference was not significant. Also, due to the risk for population stratification in case-c ontrol association studies the results must be treated as tentative. If rep licated the results may lend further support for the proposition of an asso ciation between schizophrenia and DRD3 or a gene in close proximity to DRD3 on chromosome 3q, Am. J. Med. Genet. (Neuropsychiatr. Genet.) 88:352-357, 1999. (C) 1999 Wiley-Liss, Inc.