Skip to main content
Full access
Reviews and Overviews
Published Online: 1 July 2010

D2 Receptor Genetic Variation and Clinical Response to Antipsychotic Drug Treatment: A Meta-Analysis

Abstract

Objective

Several lines of evidence suggest that antipsychotic drug efficacy is mediated by dopamine type 2 (D2) receptor blockade. Therefore, it seems plausible that variation in the DRD2 gene is associated with clinical response to antipsychotic drug treatment. The authors conducted the first meta-analysis to examine the relationship between DRD2 polymorphisms and antipsychotic drug response.

Method

A MEDLINE search of articles available up to December 31, 2008, yielded 18 prospective studies examining DRD2 gene variation and antipsychotic response in schizophrenia patients; of which, 10 independent studies met criteria for inclusion. Clinical response to antipsychotic treatment was defined as a 50% reduction of either the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale total score or Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale total score at approximately 8 weeks of follow-up evaluation. Odds ratio was the primary effect-size measure and computed for each polymorphism in each study. Sufficient data were available for two DRD2 polymorphisms: –141C Ins/Del and Taq1A.

Results

Six studies reported results for the –141C Ins/Del polymorphism (total sample size: N=687). The Del allele carrier was significantly associated with poorer antipsychotic drug response relative to the Ins/Ins genotype. Eight studies assessed the Taq1A polymorphism and antipsychotic response (total sample size: N=748). There was no significant difference in the response rate among A1 allele carriers relative to individuals with the A2/A2 genotype or A2 allele carriers relative to individuals with the A1/A1 genotype.

Conclusions

The DRD2 genetic variation is associated with clinical response to antipsychotic drug treatment. These data may provide proof-of-principle for pharmacogenetic studies in schizophrenia.
Schizophrenia is a chronic and debilitating disorder for which antipsychotic drugs are the treatment of choice (1). However, many patients with schizophrenia discontinue or switch antipsychotic drug regimens as a result of lack of efficacy and/or treatment-emergent side effects, and a large proportion of patients remain symptomatic despite treatment (24). The factors that influence the variation in response to antipsychotic drug treatment have not been well-elucidated, rendering it difficult to develop effective treatment strategies tailored to individual patients.
Pharmacogenetics research focuses on the identification of genetic variants that predict which individuals may optimally benefit from antipsychotic treatment (5). Variants in genes that code for neurotransmitter receptors have been the primary targets, including multiple loci in the dopamine and serotonin receptor systems. However, there remain surprisingly few studies on the relationship between the most obvious candidate gene, DRD2, and antipsychotic drug response. Several lines of evidence suggest that the dopamine type 2 (D2) receptor plays a critical role in antipsychotic drug action. Earlier studies showed that antipsychotic clinical potency is highly correlated with the binding affinity to a particular type of dopamine receptor (6), which was later found to be the D2 receptor (7, 8). Recent functional imaging studies suggest that binding to the D2 receptor by antipsychotic agents may be "necessary and sufficient" for antipsychotic efficacy (9). Finally, all known antipsychotic drugs bind to the D2 receptor, and drugs that have targeted non-D2 receptors without at least some element of D2 blockade have failed to treat schizophrenia effectively (8, 10).
Some of the earliest studies of DRD2 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), specifically the –141C Ins/Del and Taq1A variants, revealed promising associations with antipsychotic efficacy (1113). However, subsequent literature has been marked by mixed results and small sample sizes, complicating the evaluation of such associations. A potentially useful methodology to overcome this limitation is the use of meta-analytic techniques that incorporate results from multiple studies in an unbiased fashion. In the present study, we conducted the first pharmacogenetics meta-analysis to examine the association between variation in the DRD2 gene and antipsychotic drug response.
As we describe in detail, relevant studies in the literature have utilized a variety of designs, trial durations, symptom measures, and response criteria. Consequently, we developed a systematic and consistent methodology to harmonize the phenotypes reported, contacting the original investigators when re-evaluating raw data was necessary. Additionally, while multiple DRD2 SNPs have been studied, including Taq1B (14, 15), Taq1D (15, 16), T939C (14), S311C (17), and C957T (16, 18), most of these SNPs were reported in only one or two studies, with the exception of the Taq1A and –141C Ins/Del variants. Finally, studies to date have included patients across all phases of the illness, ranging from first-episode schizophrenia patients, with no or limited prior exposure to antipsychotic drugs, to clozapine-treated patients, with poor prior antipsychotic drug responses and lengthy medication histories. Since antipsychotic drug exposure has been demonstrated to alter the expression of multiple CNS receptors (19), including the D2 receptor, this factor may introduce additional variance into studies of genetic sources of variability. Therefore, we conducted exploratory analyses to investigate whether studies examining first-episode cohorts yielded stronger results than those consisting primarily of chronically ill subjects.

Method

Literature Search

To identify studies eligible for this meta-analysis, we searched MEDLINE for all publications available up to December 31, 2008, that examined the association between the DRD2 gene and antipsychotic drug response. The following key words were used in the literature search: "DRD2," "polymorphism," "antipsychotic," "clinical response," "gene," and "schizophrenia." We also used the reference lists from identified articles and recent literature reviews to identify additional relevant studies. Furthermore, to find unpublished studies, we searched meeting abstracts that were likely to contain relevant research. Each article included in our meta-analysis meets the following criteria: 1) the association between DRD2 polymorphisms and clinical antipsychotic drug response was reported; 2) the majority of patients had a diagnosis of schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder based on DSM-IV criteria, and diagnoses were confirmed using a standardized structured clinical interview; 3) drug response was assessed using a standardized rating scale, such as the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS), the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), or the Clinical Global Impression (CGI), at baseline and follow-up evaluations; and 4) the follow-up period was no longer than 3 months. We selected a ≤3-month follow-up evaluation period because our major goal was to assess acute antipsychotic treatment response, and response rates in treatment trials longer than 3 months may reflect other factors related to noncompliance (20), relapse prevention, illness course, and psychosocial variables (21), which may confound the genotype-drug response relationships.

Selection of Candidate Polymorphisms

The DRD2 gene contains a number of SNPs with differing frequencies among populations (Figure 1). Several DRD2 polymorphisms have been studied in association with antipsychotic drug response (22). In order to conduct a robust meta-analysis, we selected polymorphisms that were reported in at least three studies. The following two polymorphisms fit this criterion: –141C Ins/Del and Taq1A. Minor allele frequency for the Taq1A polymorphism ranges from 20% in the Caucasian population to 44% in other ethnic populations. Minor allele frequency for the –141C Ins/Del polymorphism ranges from approximately 10% in Japanese and Caucasian populations to more than 50% in individuals of African descent.
Figure 1. Location of the Taq1A and –141C Ins/Del Polymorphisms in the Context of Genes ANKK1 and DRD2 at Chromosome 11q22a
aRed triangles depict areas of high linkage equilibrium (d′). CEPH=Centre d'Etude du Polymorphisme Humain; CEU=CEPH Utah.

–141C Ins/Del (rs1799732) polymorphism

The –141C Ins/Del (rs1799732) polymorphism represents a deletion (versus insertion) of cytosine at position –141, located in the 5′ promoter region of the DRD2 gene. In vitro data reported by Arinami and colleagues (23) showed that cell lines transfected with the Del allele were less active in a luciferase reporter assay than cell lines transfected with the Ins allele. In vivo data from positron emission tomography imaging (22) have also suggested that this polymorphism may influence D2 receptor density in the striatum of healthy volunteers unexposed to antipsychotic drug treatment. For the purposes of the present meta-analysis, we pooled the Del/Del and Ins/Del genotype groups into one group (Del carrier) because of the low frequency of the Del/Del genotype in the general population and then tested for association between this Del carrier group and antipsychotic drug response relative to the association between the Ins/Ins genotype group and antipsychotic drug response.

Taq1A (rs1800497) polymorphism

The Taq1A (rs1800497) SNP involves a C >T substitution, located approximately 10 kb downstream from the DRD2 gene. The A1 allele is associated with reduced DRD2 gene expression (24, 25). Recently, the Taq1A SNP was found to be part of the kinase gene ANKK1 (ankyrin repeat and kinase domain containing 1) (26, 27). This SNP has been studied in association with substance abuse, alcohol dependence, eating disorders, and smoking cessation. Given the lack of unequivocal data for Taq1A genotype pooling, we tested both dominant and recessive hypotheses as follows: A1/A1 versus A1/A2 + A2/A2 and A2/A2 versus A1/A2 + A1/A1.

Definition of Clinical Response

Clinical response to antipsychotic drug treatment was defined as a 50% reduction of either the BPRS total score or the PANSS total score from baseline to follow-up assessment. Studies have shown that a 50% reduction of the BPRS total score is approximately equivalent to a 50% reduction in the PANSS total score, which equates to a rating of 1 or 2 on the CGI improvement scale (28). To be consistent across studies, we chose to define clinical response at the 8-week follow-up evaluation (or closest time point thereto) because this was the most common follow-up time point available. If a study did not use 50% reduction as the definition of clinical response, effort was made to contact the authors to obtain additional data. If data with 50% reduction was not obtainable for a study, we used the study's original definition of clinical response.
Odds ratio was the primary effect-size measure and computed for each polymorphism in each study. If a study did not report the categorical outcomes of subjects who responded to treatment relative to those who did not respond to treatment, we requested these data from the authors. If categorical data were not available, we did not include the study in our meta-analysis.

Statistical Analysis

Data were entered into and analyzed by Cochrane Collaboration Review Manager (RevMan), Version 5.0 (Nordic Cochrane Centre, Cochrane Collaboration, Blegdamsvej, Denmark). Heterogeneity among the studies was assessed using a chi-square test. Individual odds ratios and associated 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated and pooled to compute the mean effect size using the Mantel-Haenszel method (29). A fixed-effect model was used in all analyses (30), which is an approach similar to the approaches used in other pharmacogenetic meta-analyses (30, 31). A separate meta-analysis was conducted for each SNP and each genotype. Publication bias was assessed using the funnel plot method, the Duval and Tweedie "trim and fill" method (32), and Egger's test (33), conducted with "metatrim" and "metabias" macro procedures in Stata, Version 7.0 (StataCorp, LP, College Station, Tex.).

Results

To conduct our meta-analysis on the relationship between DRD2 gene variation and antipsychotic drug response, we searched for literature available up to December 31, 2008, which yielded 18 published articles. Of these, six articles were not included because three (15, 16, 34) only reported long-term outcomes >3 months from baseline to follow-up evaluation, one (35) was cross-sectional, one (36) did not state the duration of follow-up evaluation or include a standardized rating scale such as the BPRS, PANSS, or CGI, and one (17) contained no data on Taq1A or –141C Ins/Del polymorphisms. Two articles published by the same research group (37, 38) contained overlapping data and therefore were assessed as one study, subsequent to the authors providing the additional data needed to compute the categorical outcome of clinical response. Finally, in one other study (39), we were unable to obtain sufficient information to calculate response rates, and therefore we did not include data from that study.
A total of 10 independent studies (total sample size: N=889) met criteria for inclusion in the present meta-analysis. Figure 2 illustrates the literature search process. The clinical characteristics of each study are summarized in Table 1. Six studies reported outcomes conditioned on the –141C Ins/Del SNP (total sample size: N=687), and eight studies reported outcomes conditioned on the Taq1A SNP (total sample size: N=748). In addition, six studies reported continuous outcomes, but the authors generously provided the additional data needed to compute odds ratios.
Figure 2. Flow Chart of Literature Search for Studies Examining DRD2 Gene Variation and Antipsychotic Drug Response in Schizophrenia Patients
Table 1. Studies Investigating the Association Between the DRD2 Polymorphism and Antipsychotic Drug Response in Schizophrenia Patients

–141C Ins/Del Polymorphism and Antipsychotic Drug Response

As mentioned earlier, six studies that met inclusion criteria reported results on the –141C Ins/Del polymorphism, with a total sample size of 687 patients. Figure 3 presents odds ratios for the individual studies and the pooled analyses in different genotype groups. There was a significant difference in the response rate between the Del carrier and Ins/Ins genotype groups (pooled odds ratio=0.65, 95% CI=0.43 to 0.97, p=0.03), indicating that Del carriers tend to have less favorable antipsychotic drug responses than individuals with the Ins/Ins genotype. The chi-square test assessing heterogeneity did not reveal significance (χ2=9.23, df=5, p=0.10; I2=46%). To deal with potentially undetected heterogeneity across samples, we conducted a sensitivity analysis that excluded the study with the largest effect size (12) and the study with the smallest effect size (14). Another reason to exclude these two studies was that they may be different from other studies because the 50% reduction of the BPRS or PANSS total score was not used to define clinical response. For the sensitivity analysis, I2 was changed from 46% to 10% and the chi-square test for heterogeneity revealed a decrease from 9.23 to 3.33, which was nonsignificant, with a change in the p value from 0.10 to 0.34. The pooled odds ratio became 0.60, with a 95% CI range of 0.38–0.97 and p value of 0.04.
Figure 3. Association Between the –141C Ins/Del Polymorphism (Del Carrier vs. Ins/Ins Genotype) and Antipsychotic Drug Response
In a post hoc analysis, we restricted our investigation to studies consisting of patients with first-episode schizophrenia (total sample size: N=316). The pooled odds ratio for Del carrier patients relative to patients with the Ins/Ins genotype was 0.53 (95% CI=0.28 to 0.99, p=0.05), demonstrating poorer clinical response in Del carriers. In contrast, for studies that did not include first-episode schizophrenia patients (total sample size: N=371), we obtained a pooled odds ratio of 0.75 (95% CI=0.44 to 1.27, p=0.23) (see Figure 1 in the data supplement accompanying the online version of this article).
As seen in Figure 3, funnel plot analysis did not demonstrate evidence of publication bias. The Duval and Tweedie (32) trim and fill method indicated that it was not necessary to trim any existing study and fill any additional unpublished study. In addition, Egger's test (33) also revealed no evidence of publication bias (beta=0.79, 95% CI=–3.05 to 4.63, p=0.60).

Taq1A Polymorphism and Antipsychotic Drug Response

As previously discussed, eight studies assessed the Taq1A polymorphism and antipsychotic response, with a total sample size of 748 patients. Odds ratios for the individual studies and the pooled analyses in different genotype groups are shown in Figure 4 and Figure 5. There was no significant difference in the treatment response rate among individuals with the A1/A1 genotype relative to A2 allele carriers (pooled odds ratio=1.39, p=0.13 [Figure 4]) or A1 allele carriers relative to individuals with the A2/A2 genotype (pooled odds ratio=1.30, p=0.14 [Figure 5]). Further, there was no significant heterogeneity across studies in these two comparisons (A1/A1 genotype relative to A2 allele carriers: χ2=10.40, p=0.11; I2=42%; A1 allele carriers relative to individuals with the A2/A2 genotype: χ2=9.49, p=0.22; I2=26%).
Figure 4. Association Between the Taq1A Polymorphism and Antipsychotic Drug Response in Individuals With the A1/A1 Genotype Relative to A2 Allele Carriers
Figure 5. Association Between the Taq1A Polymorphism and Antipsychotic Drug Response in A1 Allele Carriers Relative to Individuals With the A2/A2 Genotype
The Duval and Tweedie trim and fill analysis showed that it was necessary to fill an additional unpublished study for both the A1/A1 genotype versus A2 allele carrier comparison (pooled odds ratio=1.24, p=0.30) and A1 allele carrier versus A2/A2 genotype comparison (pooled odds ratio=1.17, p=0.39). In contrast, Egger's test revealed no evidence of publication bias for either comparison (A1/A1 genotype versus A2 allele carrier: beta=-0.07, p=0.93; A1 allele carrier versus A2/A2 genotype: beta=-0.60, p=0.26). In summary, the evidence regarding publication bias for the Taq1A polymorphism was inconsistent. Even if we were able to eliminate publication bias, it appears that the association between the Taq1A polymorphism and antipsychotic drug response would still not be significant.

Discussion

In order to assess the relationship between DRD2 genetic variation and antipsychotic drug response, we conducted the first meta-analysis of the –141C Ins/Del and Taq1A polymorphisms, two commonly studied DRD2 SNPs, and clinical response to antipsychotic drug treatment. The primary result was that the –141C Ins/Del polymorphism significantly influenced antipsychotic drug response (total sample size: N=687), whereas we were not able to detect a relationship between clinical response and the Taq1A variant.
These data are consistent with prior research indicating an important role for the D2 receptor in antipsychotic drug response. Antipsychotic clinical potency is highly correlated with the binding affinity to the D2 receptor (68); D2 receptor occupancy by antipsychotic agents has been demonstrated to occur with all antipsychotic agents (9); and drugs targeting other receptor sites without D2 blockade have not yet been successfully developed as antipsychotics (8). To our knowledge, this is the first meta-analysis in pharmacogenetics to demonstrate the importance of DRD2 genetic variation in antipsychotic drug response.
Of note, we observed a significant genotype-phenotype relationship in patients with first-episode schizophrenia. This may be the result of limited or lack of prior exposure to antipsychotic drug treatment in these patients. Differential amounts of prior drug exposure, as commonly observed in chronically ill samples, could result in considerable variation in levels of dopamine receptor up-regulation (40, 41) and potentially mask subtle genetic effects on dopamine receptor availability (42) that could mediate antipsychotic response. However, other factors, including greater drug response rates in first-episode patients, should be considered as well as the limitation that studies on first-episode patients are less common than studies on chronically ill patients.
There was no significant association between the Taq1A polymorphism and antipsychotic drug response in the eight studies reporting outcomes conditioned on the Taq1A SNP, with a total sample size of 748 patients. Although the Taq1A polymorphism has been found to be associated with drug response in several studies (11, 18, 38), it is not clear how it is related to the DRD2 gene, and it is actually located in a noncoding region of the DRD2 locus. In contrast, we did find a significant association between the –141C Ins/Del polymorphism and antipsychotic drug response. This may be because this SNP is located in the 5′ promoter region of DRD2, where it may influence modulation of transcriptional activities (23) and D2 receptor density (42). Interestingly, another DRD2 SNP, A-241G, which is also located in the promoter region, has been associated with antipsychotic drug response (43).
Although sample size limitations do not provide us with an opportunity to conduct drug-specific analysis, it is not unexpected that DRD2 variation might influence clinical response to all antipsychotics. First, all antipsychotic drugs bind potently to the D2 receptors. Second, there are few data to suggest that any one antipsychotic has markedly improved efficacy over another, and similar response rates suggest phenotypic overlap and provide the rationale for the grouping of individual drug responses for analysis. Third, and perhaps most importantly, each of the antipsychotic drugs was specifically developed because of the common mechanism of action of antagonism of D2 receptors, and therefore a common effect of DRD2 variation across these drugs seems highly plausible. Nevertheless, the development of drugs with antipsychotic efficacy that does not act at the D2 receptor will be needed to empirically assess this issue.
There are several limitations of this study. First, odds ratio was used as the effect-size measure. Because this requires dichotomizing a continuous measure of either BPRS or PANSS scores, statistical power may have been diminished and it may explain why some studies reported significant findings of an association between DRD2 and antipsychotic drug response while the odds ratios were not individually significant. Therefore, meta-analysis of odds ratios may lack some sensitivity to detect small effect sizes. This is consistent with an exploratory sensitivity analysis using a random-effect model (see Figure 2 in the online data supplement), which produced a less robust p value than the fixed-effect model. Nevertheless, categorical response, instead of incremental differences in scores on the BPRS or PANSS, may be more meaningful from a clinical perspective. To clarify the clinical relevance of DRD2 genetic variations, it may be necessary to use an even more clinically meaningful outcome measure, such as the number of days to hospital discharge following acute treatment or assessments of functional disability.
Second, variation in the antipsychotic drugs administered in the studies we analyzed limited the possibility of examining the association of DRD2 with any specific drug. In these studies, multiple antipsychotic drugs were utilized, including typical agents such as chlorpromazine and haloperidol and atypical drugs such as clozapine, risperidone, olanzapine, and aripiprazole. Although all of these drugs act on the D2 receptor, they exhibit different affinity profiles for many of the candidate receptors (44), making direct comparisons more complex. For example, non-D2 receptors, such as D3, D4, and serotonin 5-HT2A, may also be important in antipsychotic drug action (44) as well as new mechanisms of action, such as metabotropic glutamate receptor 2 and receptor 3 stimulation (45). Additionally, it should be noted that the studies included patients from several different ethnic groups, with an overrepresentation of Asian patients (e.g., Chinese, Korean, and Japanese populations) and an underrepresentation of individuals of African descent. Since allele frequencies may vary considerably between ethnic groups, careful consideration of the potential effect of population genetics on genotypic and phenotypic distribution is warranted, but the limited samples currently available have hampered this effort. Finally, the relatively small number of studies included in this meta-analysis makes it difficult to conduct any meaningful moderator analyses.
As a result of the heterogeneity of medication used, the duration of illness in different samples, and the different racial groups, it is possible that we have underestimated the effect size of the gene-drug response association. Furthermore, none of the studies formally accounted for medication noncompliance, which is prevalent in patients with schizophrenia. Put simply, when a patient does not take the prescribed antipsychotic drug, the measured effect size of gene-drug response association is assessed as zero, whereas the true effect of genotype on the phenotype is perhaps larger. Nevertheless, despite the potential underestimation of effect size produced by these uncontrolled factors, we were still able to detect a significant association between the –141C Ins/Del polymorphism and antipsychotic drug response. Data on the –141C Ins/Del polymorphism from larger studies, such as the Clinical Antipsychotic Trials of Intervention Effectiveness and industry efforts, will be informative and important in further establishing the role of this SNP in antipsychotic drug response.
In summary, our meta-analysis indicates that DRD2 genetic variation is significantly associated with antipsychotic drug response. SNPs in the DRD2 promoter region, such as –141C Ins/Del, may be particularly important in predicting clinical response to antipsychotic drug treatment. Studies with larger cohorts examined with prospective designs may be needed to fully understand the nature of this relationship.

Acknowledgments

The authors thank the investigators who provided additional data from their studies to make it possible to compute odds ratios for this meta-analysis.

Supplementary Material

File (ajp_167_07_763_01.tif)
File (ajp_167_07_763_02.tif)

References

1.
Kane JM: Pharmacologic treatment of schizophrenia. Biol Psychiatry 1999; 46:1396–1408
2.
Lieberman JA, Stroup TS, McEvoy JP, Swartz MS, Rosenheck RA, Perkins DO, Keefe RS, Davis SM, Davis CE, Lebowitz BD, Severe J, Hsiao JK: Effectiveness of antipsychotic drugs in patients with chronic schizophrenia. N Engl J Med 2005; 353:1209–1223
3.
Jones PB, Barnes TR, Davies L, Dunn G, Lloyd H, Hayhurst KP, Murray RM, Markwick A, Lewis SW: Randomized controlled trial of the effect on quality of life of second- vs first-generation antipsychotic drugs in schizophrenia: Cost Utility of the Latest Antipsychotic Drugs in Schizophrenia Study (CUtLASS 1). Arch Gen Psychiatry 2006; 63:1079–1087
4.
Kahn RS, Fleischhacker WW, Boter H, Davidson M, Vergouwe Y, Keet IP, Gheorghe MD, Rybakowski JK, Galderisi S, Libiger J, Hummer M, Dollfus S, Lopez-Ibor JJ, Hranov LG, Gaebel W, Peuskens J, Lindefors N, Riecher-Rossler A, Grobbee DE: Effectiveness of antipsychotic drugs in first-episode schizophrenia and schizophreniform disorder: an open randomised clinical trial. Lancet 2008; 371:1085–1097
5.
Malhotra AK, Murphy GM, Kennedy JL: Pharmacogenetics of psychotropic drug response. Am J Psychiatry 2004; 161:780–796
6.
Creese I, Burt DR, Snyder SH: Dopamine receptor binding predicts clinical and pharmacological potencies of antischizophrenic drugs. Science 1976; 192:481–483
7.
Snyder SH: Dopamine receptors, neuroleptics, and schizophrenia. Am J Psychiatry 1981; 138:460–464
8.
Kapur S, Mamo D: Half a century of antipsychotics and still a central role for dopamine D2 receptors. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2003; 27:1081–1090
9.
Kapur S, Seeman P: Does fast dissociation from the dopamine D2 receptor explain the action of atypical antipsychotics? A new hypothesis. Am J Psychiatry 2001; 158:360–369
10.
Truffinet P, Tamminga CA, Fabre LF, Meltzer HY, Rivière ME, Papillon-Downey C: Placebo-controlled study of the D4/5-HT2A antagonist fananserin in the treatment of schizophrenia. Am J Psychiatry 1999; 156:419–425
11.
Schäfer M, Rujescu D, Giegling I, Guntermann A, Erfurth A, Bondy B, Möller H-J: Association of short-term response to haloperidol treatment with a polymorphism in the dopamine D2 receptor gene. Am J Psychiatry 2001; 158:802–804
12.
Malhotra AK, Buchanan RW, Kim S: Allelic variation in the promotor region of the dopamine D2 receptor gene and clozapine response. Schizophr Res 1999; 36:92–93
13.
Suzuki A, Mihara K, Kondo T, Tanaka O, Nagashima U, Otani K, Kaneko S: The relationship between dopamine D2 receptor polymorphism at the Taq1: a locus and therapeutic response to nemonapride, a selective dopamine antagonist, in schizophrenic patients. Pharmacogenetics 2000; 10:335–341
14.
Xing Q, Qian X, Li H, Wong S, Wu S, Feng G, Duan S, Xu M, Gao R, Qin W, Gao J, Meng J, He L: The relationship between the therapeutic response to risperidone and the dopamine D2 receptor polymorphism in Chinese schizophrenia patients. Int J Neuropsychopharmacol 2007; 10:631–637
15.
Vijayan NN, Bhaskaran S, Koshy LV, Natarajan C, Srinivas L, Nair CM, Allencherry PM, Banerjee M: Association of dopamine receptor polymorphisms with schizophrenia and antipsychotic response in a South Indian population. Behav Brain Funct 2007; 3:34
16.
Hwang R, Shinkai T, De Luca V, Muller DJ, Ni X, Macciardi F, Potkin S, Lieberman JA, Meltzer HY, Kennedy JL: Association study of 12 polymorphisms spanning the dopamine D2 receptor gene and clozapine treatment response in two treatment refractory/intolerant populations. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2005; 181:179–187
17.
Lane HY, Lee CC, Chang YC, Lu CT, Huang CH, Chang WH: Effects of dopamine D2 receptor Ser311Cys polymorphism and clinical factors on risperidone efficacy for positive and negative symptoms and social function. Int J Neuropsychopharmacol 2004; 7:461–470
18.
Shen YC, Chen SF, Chen CH, Lin CC, Chen SJ, Chen YJ, Luu SU: Effects of DRD2/ANKK1 gene variations and clinical factors on aripiprazole efficacy in schizophrenic patients. J Psychiatr Res 2009; 43:600–606
19.
Strange PG: Antipsychotic drugs: importance of dopamine receptors for mechanisms of therapeutic actions and side effects. Pharmacol Rev 2001; 53:119–133
20.
Robinson D, Woerner MG, Alvir JM, Bilder R, Goldman R, Geisler S, Koreen A, Sheitman B, Chakos M, Mayerhoff D, Lieberman JA: Predictors of relapse following response from a first episode of schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder. Arch Gen Psychiatry 1999; 56:241–247
21.
Schooler NR: Relapse prevention and recovery in the treatment of schizophrenia. J Clin Psychiatry 2006; 67(suppl 5):19–23
22.
Arranz MJ, de Leon J: Pharmacogenetics and pharmacogenomics of schizophrenia: a review of last decade of research. Mol Psychiatry 2007; 12:707–747
23.
Arinami T, Gao M, Hamaguchi H, Toru M: A functional polymorphism in the promoter region of the dopamine receptor gene is associated with schizophrenia. Hum Mol Genet 1997; 6:577–582
24.
Ritchie T, Noble EP: Association of seven polymorphisms of the D2 dopamine receptor gene with brain receptor-binding characteristics. Neurochem Res 2003; 28:73–82
25.
Pohjalainen T, Rinne JO, Nagren K, Lehikoinen P, Anttila K, Syvalahti EK, Hietala J: The A1 allele of the human D2 dopamine receptor gene predicts low D2 receptor availability in healthy volunteers. Mol Psychiatry 1998; 3:256–260
26.
Neville MJ, Johnstone EC, Walton RT: Identification and characterization of ANKK1: a novel kinase gene closely linked to DRD2 on chromosome band 11q23.1. Hum Mutat 2004; 23:540–545
27.
Dubertret C, Gouya L, Hanoun N, Deybach JC, Ades J, Hamon M, Gorwood P: The 3′ region of the DRD2 gene is involved in genetic susceptibility to schizophrenia. Schizophr Res 2004; 67:75–85
28.
Leucht S, Kane JM, Etschel E, Kissling W, Hamann J, Engel RR: Linking the PANSS, BPRS, and CGI: clinical implications. Neuropsychopharmacology 2006; 31:2318–2325
29.
Mantel N, Haenszel W: Statistical aspects of the analysis of data from retrospective studies of disease. J Natl Cancer Inst 1959; 22:719–748
30.
Munafo MR, Flint J: Meta-analysis of genetic association studies. Trends Genet 2004; 20:439–444
31.
Serretti A, Kato M, De Ronchi D, Kinoshita T: Meta-analysis of serotonin transporter gene promoter polymorphism (5-HTTLPR) association with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor efficacy in depressed patients. Mol Psychiatry 2007; 12:247–257
32.
Duval SJ, Tweedie RL: A non-parametric "trim and fill" method of assessing publication bias in meta-analysis. J Am Stat Assoc 2000; 95:89–98
33.
Egger M, Smith GD, Schneider M, Minder C: Bias in meta-analysis detected by a simple, graphical test. BMJ 1997; 315:629–634
34.
Hwang R, Shinkai T, Deluca V, Macciardi F, Potkin S, Meltzer HY, Kennedy JL: Dopamine D2 receptor gene variants and quantitative measures of positive and negative symptom response following clozapine treatment. Eur Neuropsychopharmacol 2006; 16:248–259
35.
Alenius M, Wadelius M, Dahl ML, Hartvig P, Lindstrom L, Hammarlund-Udenaes M: Gene polymorphism influencing treatment response in psychotic patients in a naturalistic setting. J Psychiatr Res 2008; 42:884–893
36.
Arranz MJ, Li T, Munro J, Liu X, Murray R, Collier DA, Kerwin RW: Lack of association between a polymorphism in the promoter region of the dopamine-2 receptor gene and clozapine response. Pharmacogenetics 1998; 8:481–484
37.
Yamanouchi Y, Iwata N, Suzuki T, Kitajima T, Ikeda M, Ozaki N: Effect of DRD2, 5-HT2A, and COMT genes on antipsychotic response to risperidone. Pharmacogenomics J 2003; 3:356–361
38.
Ikeda M, Yamanouchi Y, Kinoshita Y, Kitajima T, Yoshimura R, Hashimoto S, O'Donovan MC, Nakamura J, Ozaki N, Iwata N: Variants of dopamine and serotonin candidate genes as predictors of response to risperidone treatment in first-episode schizophrenia. Pharmacogenomics 2008; 9:1437–1443
39.
Dahmen N, Muller MJ, Germeyer S, Rujescu D, Anghelescu I, Hiemke C, Wetzel H: Genetic polymorphisms of the dopamine D2 and D3 receptor and neuroleptic drug effects in schizophrenic patients. Schizophr Res 2001; 49:223–225
40.
Lidow MS, Goldman-Rakic PS: Differential regulation of D2 and D4 dopamine receptor mRNAs in the primate cerebral cortex vs neostriatum: effects of chronic treatment with typical and atypical antipsychotic drugs. J Pharmacol Exp Ther 1997; 283:939–946
41.
Silvestri S, Seeman MV, Negrete JC, Houle S, Shammi CM, Remington GJ, Kapur S, Zipursky RB, Wilson AA, Christensen BK, Seeman P: Increased dopamine D2 receptor binding after long-term treatment with antipsychotics in humans: a clinical PET study. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2000; 152:174–180
42.
Jonsson EG, Nothen MM, Grunhage F, Farde L, Nakashima Y, Propping P, Sedvall GC: Polymorphisms in the dopamine D2 receptor gene and their relationships to striatal dopamine receptor density of healthy volunteers. Mol Psychiatry 1999; 4:290–296
43.
Lencz T, Robinson DG, Xu K, Ekholm J, Sevy S, Gunduz-Bruce H, Woerner MG, Kane JM, Goldman D, Malhotra AK: DRD2 promoter region variation as a predictor of sustained response to antipsychotic medication in first-episode schizophrenia patients. Am J Psychiatry 2006; 163:529–531
44.
Gardner DM, Baldessarini RJ, Waraich P: Modern antipsychotic drugs: a critical overview. CMAJ 2005; 172:1703–1711
45.
Ghose S, Gleason KA, Potts BW, Lewis-Amezcua K, Tamminga CA: Differential expression of metabotropic glutamate receptors 2 and 3 in schizophrenia: a mechanism for antipsychotic drug action? Am J Psychiatry 2009; 166:812–820
46.
Wu S, Xing Q, Gao R, Li X, Gu N, Feng G, He L: Response to chlorpromazine treatment may be associated with polymorphisms of the DRD2 gene in Chinese schizophrenic patients. Neurosci Lett 2005; 376:1–4
47.
Suzuki A, Kondo T, Mihara K, Yasui-Furukori N, Otani K, Furukori H, Kaneko S, Inoue Y: Association between Taq1A dopamine D2 receptor polymorphism and therapeutic response to bromperidol: a preliminary report. Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci 2001; 251:57–59
48.
Kwon JS, Kim E, Kang DH, Choi JS, Yu KS, Jang IJ, Shin SG APLUS Study Group: Taq1A polymorphism in the dopamine D2 receptor gene as a predictor of clinical response to aripiprazole. Eur Neuropsychopharmacol 2008; 18:897–907

Information & Authors

Information

Published In

Go to American Journal of Psychiatry
Go to American Journal of Psychiatry
American Journal of Psychiatry
Pages: 763 - 772
PubMed: 20194480

History

Received: 30 April 2009
Accepted: 8 October 2009
Published online: 1 July 2010
Published in print: July 2010

Authors

Details

Jian-Ping Zhang, M.D., Ph.D.
Anil K. Malhotra, M.D.

Notes

Received April 30, 2009; revisions received July 24 and August 28, 2009; accepted Oct. 8, 2009. From the Division of Psychiatry Research, Zucker Hillside Hospital, Feinstein Institute of Medical Research, North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System, Glen Oaks, New York. Address correspondence and reprint requests to Dr. Zhang, Division of Psychiatry Research, Department of Psychiatry, The Zucker Hillside Hospital, 75-59 263rd St., Glen Oaks, NY 11004; [email protected] (e-mail).

Competing Interests

Dr. Lencz is a consultant for Eli Lilly. Dr. Malhotra is a consultant/advisor for Eli Lilly, Janssen, Vanda, and Wyeth; he also serves on the speaker's bureau of Bristol-Myers Squibb. Dr. Zhang reports no financial relationships with commercial interests.

Funding Information

Supported in part by National Institute of Mental Health grants 1P30MH-074543 (principal investigator, J. Kane, M.D.), 1P50MH-080173 (principal investigator, J. Kane, M.D.), 1R01MH-79800-01 (Dr. Malhotra), and K01MH65580 (Dr. Lencz).

Metrics & Citations

Metrics

Citations

Export Citations

If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.

For more information or tips please see 'Downloading to a citation manager' in the Help menu.

Format
Citation style
Style
Copy to clipboard

View Options

View options

PDF/EPUB

View PDF/EPUB

Login options

Already a subscriber? Access your subscription through your login credentials or your institution for full access to this article.

Personal login Institutional Login Open Athens login
Purchase Options

Purchase this article to access the full text.

PPV Articles - American Journal of Psychiatry

PPV Articles - American Journal of Psychiatry

Not a subscriber?

Subscribe Now / Learn More

PsychiatryOnline subscription options offer access to the DSM-5-TR® library, books, journals, CME, and patient resources. This all-in-one virtual library provides psychiatrists and mental health professionals with key resources for diagnosis, treatment, research, and professional development.

Need more help? PsychiatryOnline Customer Service may be reached by emailing [email protected] or by calling 800-368-5777 (in the U.S.) or 703-907-7322 (outside the U.S.).

Media

Figures

Other

Tables

Share

Share

Share article link

Share