A genome-wide survey of human short-term memory

✍ Scribed by Papassotiropoulos, A; Henke, K; Stefanova, E; Aerni, A; Müller, A; Demougin, P; Vogler, C; Sigmund, J C; Gschwind, L; Huynh, K-D; Coluccia, D; Mondadori, C R; Hänggi, J; Buchmann, A; Kostic, V; Novakovic, I; van den Bussche, H; Kaduszkiewicz, H; Weyerer, S; Bickel, H; Riedel-Heller, S; Pentzek, M; Wiese, B; Dichgans, M; Wagner, M; Jessen, F; Maier, W; de Quervain, D J-F

• Book ID: 118675805
• Publisher: Nature Publishing Group
• Year: 2009
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 543 KB
• Volume: 16
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 1359-4184
• DOI: 10.1038/mp.2009.133

✦ Synopsis

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.