A role of interactions between N-methyl-D-aspartate and dopamine receptors in facial emotion recognition impairment in schizophrenia

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Comparative study of cognitive impairment in subgroups of bipolar affective disorder types I and II, occurring with and without psychotic symptoms. S.S. Korsakov Journal of Neurology and Psychiatry. 2025;(3):7-11

Objective. To search for genetic mechanisms of facial emotion recognition (FER) impairment, one of the features of schizophrenia that affects social adaptation of patients. Based on the view implicating the interplay between dopaminergic and glutamatergic systems into the pathogenesis of schizophrenia, authors explored the interaction effects of the C366G polymorphism in the GRIN2B gene encoding NMDA receptor subunit NR2B with ANKK1/DRD2 Taq1A and 48-VNTR DRD4 polymorphisms on FER. Material and methods. GRIN2B -DRD2 interaction effects were studied in a sample of 237 patients and 235 healthy controls, GRIN2B — DRD4 in 268 patients and 208 controls. Results and conclusion. Both effects were significant in combined samples of patients and controls (GRIN2B X DRD2, F=4.12, p=0.043; GRIN2B X DRD4, F=6.43, p=0.012). Further analysis confirmed the interaction effect of GRIN2B and DRD2 polymorphisms on FER in patients with schizophrenia. In patients with a less efficient allele of the DRD2 in the absence of the minor allele of the GRIN2B C366G polymorphism, the results were close to normal values while patients with minor alleles of both polymorphisms showed the worst results. This finding is in line with the conceptions on a possible role of NMDA-receptor hypofunction and D2-mediated regulation of NMDA-receptor activity in FER impairments in schizophrenia.

Keywords:

GRIN2B

DRD2

DRD4

facial emotion recognition

epistatic effects

psychosis

Authors:

Alfimova M.V.

Nauchnyĭ tsentr psikhicheskogo zdorov'ia RAMN

Golimbet V.E.

Nauchnyĭ tsentr psikhicheskogo zdorov'ia RAMN, Moskva

Korovaĭtseva G.I.

Nauchnyĭ tsentr psikhicheskogo zdorovia RAMN, Moskva

Lezheĭko T.V.

Nauchnyĭ tsentr psikhicheskogo zdorov'ia RAMN, Moskva

Tikhonov D.V.

Mental Health Research Center, Moscow, Russia

SPIN RSCI: 6093-8619
Scopus AuthorID: 57195277873
ResearcherID: AAD-4447-2022
ORCID: 0000-0003-3001-7842

Ganisheva T.K.

Berezin N.B.

Alekseev Psychiatric Hospital №1, Moscow, Russia

Snegireva A.A.

GKUZ "Moskovskaia gorodskaia klinicheskaia psikhiatricheskaia bol'nitsa #1 im. N.A. Alekseeva", Moskva

Shemiakina T.K.

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