The role of neurotrophins and neurexins genes in the risk of paranoid schizophrenia in Russians and Tatars

Schizophrenia affects about 1% of the population. Its etiology is not fully understood. Environmental conditions certainly contribute to the development of schizophrenia, but the determining factor is genetic predisposition: the coefficient of heritability of schizophrenia is about 80%, which is typical for the most highly heritable multifactorial diseases. Polymorphic loci of genes of enzymes and receptors involved in the processes of neuroprotection and neurotrophia play significant role in the development of this disease. In this paper we investigated 48 polymorphic variants of genes of the neurotrophins and neurexins family (BDNF, NTRK2, NTRK3, NGF, NXPH1, and NRXN1) in Russian and Tatar cases and in a control group living in the Republic of Bashkortostan. The results of this study confirm the important role of neurotrophin and neurexin genes in paranoid schizophrenia development

Clinical characteristics of early-onset depression: Focus on neurovegetative symptoms

A cross-sectional, multicenter study by the Russian National Consortium for Psychiatric Genetics enrolled 172 patients with depression in order to analyze the clinical features of the course of early-onset depression. Early-onset depression is associated with hypersomnia and decreased libido, as well as higher severity of the current depressive episode. In addition, early-onset depression is associated with the presence of concomitant obsessive-compulsive disorder and, in combination with family history of mood disorders, with a longer duration of the depressive episode. Early onset depression is an important trait representing a genetic influence on the development of depression. Further clinical and genetic studies are needed to investigate the specific effects of age of onset on the clinical manifestations and course of depression. © 2021, V. Serbsky National Medical Research Centre for Psychiatry and Narcology. All rights reserved