Glutamate system genes associated with ventral prefrontal and thalamic volume in pediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder

Abstract

This pilot study was undertaken to determine if there was a significant association between specific glutamate system genes and regional volumes of interest implicated in the pathogenesis of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Volumetric magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and genotyping of seven polymorphisms in two genes, glutamate receptor, ionotropic, N-methyl-d-aspartate 2B (GRIN2B) and solute linked carrier, family 1, member 1 (SLC1A1) were conducted in 31 psychotropic-naïve pediatric OCD patients. The rs1805476 variant of GRIN2B was associated with left but not right orbital frontal cortex (OFC) (p= 0.04) and right but not left anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) volume (p= 0.02). The SLC1A1 rs3056 variant was associated with increased total (p= 0.01), left (p= 0.02) and right (p= 0.02) thalamic volume. These results suggest that GRIN2B and SLC1A1 may be associated with regional volumetric alterations in OFC, ACC, and thalamus in children with OCD. © Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2008.