Effect of age and disease on bone mass in Japanese patients with schizophrenia

BACKGROUND: There have been a limited number of studies comparing bone mass between patients with schizophrenia and the general population. The aim of this study was to compare the bone mass of schizophrenia patients with that of healthy subjects in Japan. METHODS: We recruited patients (n = 362), aged 48.8 ± 15.4 (mean ± SD) years who were diagnosed with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition (DSM-IV). Bone mass was measured using quantitative ultrasound densitometry of the calcaneus. The osteosono-assessment index (OSI) was calculated as a function of the speed of sound and the transmission index. For comparative analysis, OSI data from 832 adults who participated in the Iwaki Health Promotion Project 2009 was used as representative of the general community. RESULTS: Mean OSI values among male schizophrenic patients were lower than those in the general population in the case of individuals aged 40 and older. In females, mean OSI values among schizophrenic patients were lower than those in the general community in those aged 60 and older. In an analysis using the general linear model, a significant interaction was observed between subject groups and age in males. CONCLUSIONS: Older schizophrenic patients exhibit lower bone mass than that observed in the general population. Our data also demonstrate gender and group differences among schizophrenic patients and controls with regard to changes in bone mass associated with aging. These results indicate that intervention programs designed to delay or prevent decreased bone mass in schizophrenic patients might be tailored according to gender

Differential effects of the catechol-O-methyltransferase Val158Met genotype on the cognitive function of schizophrenia patients and healthy Japanese individuals.

BACKGROUND: The functional polymorphism Val158Met in the catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) gene has been associated with differences in prefrontal cognitive functions in patients with schizophrenia and healthy individuals. Several studies have indicated that the Met allele is associated with better performance on measures of cognitive function. We investigated whether the COMT Val158Met genotype was associated with cognitive function in 149 healthy controls and 118 patients with schizophrenia. METHODS: Cognitive function, including verbal memory, working memory, motor speed, attention, executive function and verbal fluency, was assessed by the Brief Assessment of Cognition in Schizophrenia (BACS-J). We employed a one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and a multiple regression analysis to determine the associations between the COMT Val158Met genotype and the BACS-J measurements. RESULTS: The one-way ANOVA revealed a significant difference in the scores on the Tower of London, a measure of executive function, between the different Val158Met genotypes in the healthy controls (p = 0.023), and a post-hoc analysis showed significant differences between the scores on the Tower of London in the val/val genotype group (18.6 ± 2.4) compared to the other two groups (17.6 ± 2.7 for val/met and 17.1 ± 3.2 for met/met; p = 0.027 and p = 0.024, respectively). Multiple regression analyses revealed that executive function was significantly correlated with the Val158Met genotype (p = 0.003). However, no evidence was found for an effect of the COMT on any cognitive domains of the BACS-J in the patients with schizophrenia. CONCLUSION: These data support the hypothesis that the COMT Val158Met genotype maintains an optimal level of dopamine activity. Further studies should be performed that include a larger sample size and include patients on and off medication, as these patients would help to confirm our findings

ABO Blood Type and Personality Traits in Healthy Japanese Subjects

<div><p>There is no scientific consensus that a relationship exists between the ABO blood group and personality traits. However, a recent study hypothesized that the dopamine beta-hydroxylase (<i>DBH</i>) gene is in linkage with the <i>ABO</i> gene. The sample population consisted of 1,427 healthy Japanese subjects who completed the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI). Each subject’s ABO blood type was determined by genotyping the rs8176719 and rs8176746 <i>ABO</i> gene single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) using a TaqMan genotyping assay. The relationships between the six <i>ABO</i> genotypes or four ABO phenotypes and personality traits were examined using a multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA), controlling for age and sex. The MANCOVA data showed a significant difference in TCI scores among the <i>ABO</i> genotype groups (F [7, 1393] = 3.354, <i>p</i> = 0.001). A subsequent univariate analysis showed a significant difference in the mean scores for Persistence among the genotype groups (<i>F</i> = 2.680, <i>partial η²</i> = 0.010, <i>p</i> = 0.020). Similarly, dividing the ABO blood type into four phenotypes revealed a significant difference among the phenotype groups (F [7, 1397] = 2.529, <i>p</i> = 0.014). A subsequent univariate analysis showed a significant difference among the phenotype groups in the mean scores for Persistence (<i>F</i> = 2.952, <i>partial η²</i>= 0.006, <i>p</i> = 0.032). We observed a significant association between ABO blood group genotypes and personality traits in a large number of healthy Japanese subjects. However, these results should be regarded as preliminary and should be interpreted with caution because it is possible that the association between ABO blood group genotype and the Persistence trait is relatively weak.</p></div

Mean performance of patients and controls for each measurement of the COMT Val158Met genotype.

<p>Data indicate means±SD.</p><p>COMT, catechol-O-methyltransferase; BACS-J, Brief Assessment of Cognition in Schizophrenia, Japanese-language version; SNP, single nucleotide polymorphism.</p

MANCOVA for TCI scores and <i>ABO</i> genotype groups (mean ± SD).

<p>Comparison of the TCI scores among the six genotype groups including age and sex as covariates.</p><p>The rs 8176719 alleles are exon 6 261G ("G") and 261delG ("D"). The rare genotypes <i>AA</i> × <i>DD</i>, <i>AC</i> × <i>DD</i>, and <i>AA</i> × <i>GD</i> did not occur in our samples.</p><p>^¶There was a significant difference between the ABO blood types and Persistence scores. Post hoc analysis showed that <i>AA</i> genotype group had higher Persistence scores than <i>BO</i> and <i>OO</i> genotype group (<i>p</i> = 0.017 and <i>p</i> = 0.045, respectively; Bonferroni correction).</p><p>MANCOVA for TCI scores and <i>ABO</i> genotype groups (mean ± SD).</p

Factors that influenced scores of the BACS-J measuremnts and the composite scores of multiple regression analysis.

<p>COMT, catechol-O-methyltransferase; BACS-J, Brief Assessment of Cognition in Schizophrenia, Japanese-language version.</p

MANCOVA for TCI scores and the ABO phenotype groups (mean ± SD)

<p>Comparison of the TCI scores among the four phenotype groups including age and sex as covariates.</p><p>^¶There was a significant difference between the ABO phenotypes and Persistence scores. Post hoc analysis showed that blood type A group had higher Persistence scores than B and O groups (<i>p</i> = 0.009 and <i>p</i> = 0.018, respectively; Bonferroni correction).</p><p>MANCOVA for TCI scores and the ABO phenotype groups (mean ± SD)</p