Association of dopamine D3-receptor gene variants with neuroleptic inducedakathisia in schizophrenic patients: A generalization of Steen's study on DRD3 and tardive dyskinesia

Neuroleptic induced akathisia is a common and distressful extrapyramidal si de effect of antipsychotic treatment, A significant proportion of the varia bility of its development has been left unexplained and has to be attribute d to individual susceptibility. Since hereditary factors have been discusse d in the etiology of acute akathisia (AA), part of the individual susceptib ility might be of genetic origin, Moreover, AA is regarded as a forerunner of tardive dyskinesia, a drug-induced chronic movement disorder, which may be associated with homozygosity for the Ser9Gly variant of the DRD3 gene. C onsidering expression studies, which demonstrated functional variants of DR D3 polymorphisms, we investigated whether homozygosity for the Ser9Gly vari ant of the DRD3 gene is associated with AA, Homozygosity for the Ser9Gly va riant of the DRD3 gene was connected to an 88% incidence of AA as compared with a considerably lower 46.9% incidence of AA in schizophrenic patients n onhomozygous for the 2-2 allele (exact P = 0.0223). (C) 2000 Wiley-Liss, In c.