Expression Profiling of Reelin (RELN) Gene in Patients With Schizophrenia from North Karnataka.

Background Schizophrenia is a devastating neuropsychiatric condition of uncertain etiology with significant adverse effects on the affected people, their families, and society. India has a heterogeneous population with a high degree of inbreeding. Hence, it is necessary to screen Indian patients with psychotic disorders to get a true picture of the contribution of Reelin (RELN) mRNA expression in schizophrenia. Mental illness is a leading cause of several metabolic changes and other related complications. It is not clear whether these metabolic changes are due to alterations in the RELN gene expression or because of antipsychotic drug use. Therefore, it is necessary to study the link between RELN gene expression and the metabolic syndrome. Aim and objective The present study aims to study the expression profiling of the RELN gene in patients with schizophrenia and the occurrence of metabolic syndrome in these patients. Methodology Patients with clinically diagnosed schizophrenia were studied for RELN gene expression and the RELN protein was quantified using real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Biochemical parameters like serum random blood sugar (RBS) and lipid profile were analyzed by standard biochemical methods on the semi-auto analyzer and the lipid ratios in the study population were calculated and compared with the age and sex-matched controls. The statistical analyses were performed using IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 20 (Released 2011; IBM Corp., Armonk, New York, United States). A p-value of <0.05 was considered statistically significant. All statistical tests were two-tailed. Results The present study involved 108 subjects, out of which 54 were patients with schizophrenia (study group) and the remaining 54 were healthy controls (control group). In the former group, 29 were female (53.7%) and 25 were male (46.3%) patients whereas in the latter group, 27 were female (50%) and 27 were male (50%) individuals. Majority of the participants in the study group showed moderate scores on the Brief Psychiatric Rating (BPRS) scale. The levels of RELN mRNA expression were decreased in schizophrenia. Compared to the controls, the levels of RBS, total cholesterol, triglycerides (TGs), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) were significantly increased and levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) were significantly decreased in the patients with schizophrenia. Body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), and lipid ratios were also significantly greater in these patients. Conclusion An analysis of the candidate genes in psychotic disorders can be helpful in designing targeted drugs to treat these patients. Early and regular monitoring of patients on antipsychotic drug treatment is needed to find and prevent the risk of developing metabolic syndrome, which is the major cause for atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases in this group. Appropriate lifestyle modifications and early intervention can help in preventing early deaths in patients with psychotic disorders.