Role of Ethnicity in Antipsychotic-Induced Weight Gain and Tardive Dyskinesia: Genes or Environment?

Abstract

Aim: This study explored the role of self-reported ethnicity and genetic ancestry on antipsychotic (AP)-induced weight gain and tardive dyskinesia (TD) in schizophrenia. Patients & methods: Ethnicity was determined by self-report as well as Structure analysis of 190 SNPs selected from HapMap3, genotyped using a customized Illumina BeadChip. Age, gender, baseline weight and AP response using Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale were assessed. Multivariate regression models for AP-induced weight gain and TD, based on the Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale were constructed. Results: African–American ethnicity (self-report, p = 0.021 and Structure analysis, p = 0.042) predicted AP-induced weight gain but not TD (self-report, p = 0.408 and Structure analysis, p = 0.714). Conclusion: Self-reported African–American ethnicity seemed to better predict AP-induced weight gain in schizophrenia compared with genetic ancestry, suggesting a possible role of environmental in addition to genetic factors. Future larger studies are needed to clarify specific gene–environment mechanisms mediating the effect of ethnicity on AP-induced weight gain.

Original submitted 1 January 2013; Revision submitted 17 June 2013

KEYWORDS::

• antipsychotic-induced weight gain
• environment
• genetics
• schizophrenia
• self-reported ethnicity
• tardive dyskinesia

Acknowledgements

The authors thank VKT Yong for his assistance with the statistical analyses.

Financial & competing interests disclosure

The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.

Ethical conduct of research

The authors state that they have obtained appropriate institutional review board approval or have followed the principles outlined in the Declaration of Helsinki for all human or animal experimental investigations. In addition, for investigations involving human subjects, informed consent has been obtained from the participants involved.