SEQUENTIAL STRATEGY TO IDENTIFY A SUSCEPTIBILITY GENE FOR SCHIZOPHRENIA - REPORT OF POTENTIAL LINKAGE ON CHROMOSOME 22Q12-Q13.1 .1.

To identify genes responsible for the susceptibility for schizophrenia, and to test the hypothesis that schizophrenia is etiologically heterogeneous, we have studied 39 multiplex families from a systematic sample of schizophrenic patients. Using a complex autosomal dominant model, which considers only those with a diagnosis of schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder as affected, a random search of the genome for detection of Linkage was undertaken. Pairwise linkage analyses suggest a potential linkage (LRH = 34.7 or maximum lod score = 1.54) for one region (22q12-q13.1). Reanalyses, varying parameters in the dominant model, maximized the LRH at 660.7 (maximum lod score 2.82). This finding is of sufficient interest to warrant further investigation through collaborative studies. (C) 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.