| 1 | Cell Tissue Res. 2014 Aug 357: 463-76 |
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| PMID | 24996399 |
| Title | The role of L-type voltage-gated calcium channels Cav1.2 and Cav1.3 in normal and pathological brain function. |
| Abstract | The use of specific activators and inhibitors that penetrate the central nervous system has suggested an essential functional role of L-type calcium channels (LTCC) in several important physiological processes of the brain, including the modulation of the mesoaccumbal dopamine signalling pathway, synaptic transmission of auditory stimuli and synaptic plasticity of neutral and aversive learning and memory processes. However, the lack of selectivity of available pharmacological agents towards the most prominent LTCC isoforms in the brain, namely Cav1.2 and Cav1.3, has hampered the elucidation of the precise contribution made by each specific channel isoform within these specific physiological processes. Modern genetic approaches, both in rodents and in human, have recently enhanced our understanding of the selective functional roles of Cav1.2 and Cav1.3 channels. In rodents, the characterisation of global and conditional isoform-specific knockouts suggests a contribution of Cav1.2 channels in spatial memory formation, whereas Cav1.3 channels seem to be involved in the consolidation of fear memories and in neurodegenerative mechanisms associated with the development of Parkinson's disease. With regard to the molecular mechanisms underlying drug addiction, Cav1.3 channels are necessary for the development and Cav1.2 channels for the expression of cocaine and amphetamine behavioural sensitisation. In humans, both the identification of naturally occurring LTCC variants ("channelopathies") and unbiased genome-wide association studies have linked LTCCs to working memory performance in healthy individuals and schizophrenic patients. Individually, CACNA1C polymorphisms and CACNA1D variants have been linked to a variety of psychiatric diseases and to congenital deafness, respectively. However, the contribution of individual LTCCs and their polymorphisms to human brain function and diseases remains unclear, necessitating the use of isoform-specific pharmacological agents. |
| SCZ Keywords | schizophrenia, schizophrenic |
| 2 | Sci Rep 2015 -1 5: 12935 |
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| PMID | 26255836 |
| Title | Evaluation of genetic susceptibility of common variants in CACNA1D with schizophrenia in Han Chinese. |
| Abstract | The heritability of schizophrenia (SCZ) has been estimated to be as high as 80%, suggesting that genetic factors may play an important role in the etiology of SCZ. Cav1.2 encoded by CACNA1C and Cav1.3 encoded by CACNA1D are dominant calcium channel-forming subunits of L-type Voltage-dependent Ca(2+) channels, expressed in many types of neurons. The CACNA1C has been consistently found to be a risk gene for SCZ, but it is unknown for CACNA1D. To investigate the association of CACNA1D with SCZ, we designed a two-stage case-control study, including a testing set with 1117 cases and 1815 controls and a validation set with 1430 cases and 4295 controls in Han Chinese. A total of selected 97 tag single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in CACNA1D were genotyped, and single-SNP association, imputation analysis and gender-specific association analyses were performed in the two independent datasets. None was found to associate with SCZ. Further genotype and haplotype association analyses indicated a similar pattern in the two-stage study. Our findings suggested CACNA1D might not be a risk gene for SCZ in Han Chinese population, which add to the current state of knowledge regarding the susceptibility of CACNA1D to SCZ. |
| SCZ Keywords | schizophrenia, schizophrenic |
| 3 | J. Physiol. (Lond.) 2016 Feb -1: -1 |
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| PMID | 26913808 |
| Title | L-type Ca(2+) channels in mood, cognition and addiction: Integrating human and rodent studies with a focus on behavioural endophenotypes. |
| Abstract | Brain Cav 1.2 and Cav 1.3 L-type Ca(2+) channels play key physiological roles in various neuronal processes that contribute to brain function. Genetic studies have recently identified CACNA1C as a candidate risk gene for bipolar disorder (BP), schizophrenia (SCZ), major depressive disorder (MDD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and CACNA1D for BP and ASD, suggesting a contribution of Cav 1.2 and Cav 1.3 Ca(2+) signalling to the pathophysiology of neuropsychiatric disorders. Once considered sole clinical entities, it is now clear that BP, SCZ, MDD and ASD share common phenotypic features, most likely due to overlapping neurocircuitry and common molecular mechanisms. A major future challenge lies in translating the human genetic findings to pathological mechanisms that are translatable back to the patient. One approach for tackling such a daunting scientific endeavor for complex behaviour-based neuropsychiatric disorders is to examine intermediate biological phenotypes in the context of endophenotypes within distinct behavioural domains. This will better allow us to integrate findings from genes to behaviour across species, and improve the chances of translating preclinical findings to clinical practice. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. |
| SCZ Keywords | schizophrenia, schizophrenic |