Recent advances in the development of high-throughput genotyping platforms allow for the unbiased identification of genes and genomic sequences related to heritable traits. In this study, we analyzed human short-term memory, which refers to the ability to remember information over a brief period of time and which has been found disturbed in many neuropsychiatric conditions, including schizophrenia and depression. We performed a genome-wide survey at 909 622 polymorphic loci and report six genetic variations significantly associated with human short-term memory performance after genome-wide correction for multiple comparisons. A polymorphism within SCN1A (encoding the α subunit of the type I voltage-gated sodium channel) was replicated in three independent populations of 1699 individuals. Functional magnetic resonance imaging during an n-back working memory task detected SCN1A allele-dependent activation differences in brain regions typically involved in working memory processes. These results suggest an important role for SCN1A in human short-term memory. © 2011 Macmillan Publishers Limited All rights reserved.
CITATION STYLE
Papassotiropoulos, A., Henke, K., Stefanova, E., Aerni, A., Müller, A., Demougin, P., … De Quervain, D. J. F. (2011). A genome-wide survey of human short-term memory. Molecular Psychiatry, 16(2), 184–192. https://doi.org/10.1038/mp.2009.133
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