The SNP rs1006737 in CACNA1C gene has been significantly associated with psychiatric disorders (e.g., schizophrenia and bipolar disorder) in European populations. In Han Chinese, rs1006737 is also strongly associated with schizophrenia, although the effects of the psychosis risk SNP on related brain functions and structures in this population remain unclear. Here, we examined the association of rs1006737 with gray matter volume in a sample of 278 healthy Han Chinese. A whole-brain voxel-based morphometry (VBM) analysis revealed a significant association in the region around right superior occipital gyrus (family-wise error corrected, P = 0.023). Our data provides initial evidence for the involvement of this psychosis genetic risk locus in brain structure variations in Chinese population, and calls for further investigations.
Keywords: CACNA1C; Han Chinese; gray matter; rs1006737; voxel-based morphometry.
© 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.