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Role of the cholinergic muscarinic 2 receptor (CHRM2) gene in cognition

Molecular Psychiatry volume8,pages10–11 (2003)Cite this article

SIR – Heritability estimates for intelligence quotient (IQ) range from 0.50 to 0.80.1This makes IQ a suitable target for attempts to identify the specific genes involved. This first such gene to be identified was by Chorneyet al.2They reported an association between the insulin-like growth factor 2 receptor (IGF2R) gene and IQ. Cholinergic pathways have been widely implicated in cognition and memory,3,4making the respective genes excellent candidate markers for cognitive abilities. Identification of a possible role of cholinergic receptor genes in humans has been hampered by the lack of reported polymorphisms. We identified a common A→T 1890 polymorphism in the 3′UTR of theCHRM2gene. To determine if it was associated with IQ, we examined 358 adult males and 470 adult females for a total of 828 adults.

The subjects were the parents of twins from the Minnesota Twin and Family Study, a long-term study of the genetics and environmental factors in substance abuse.5All subjects in theCHRM2study were of Caucasian ancestry. All were given the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised (Vocabulary, Information, Block Design, and Picture Arrangement) test. The study was approved by the internal review boards of both the University of Minnesota and the City of Hope Medical Center and all subjects gave written informed consent.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medical Genetics, City of Hope Medical Center, Duarte, 91010, CA, USA

    D E Comings, S Wu & M Rostamkhani

  2. Department of Psychology, University of Minnesóta, Minneapolis, MN, USA

    M McGue & W G lacono

  3. Department of Genomics, MGI Applied Genomics, Long Beach, CA, USA

    J P MacMurray

  4. Department of Biostatistics, City of Hope Medical Center, Duarte, 91010, CA, USA

    L S-C Cheng

Authors
  1. D E Comings
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  2. S Wu
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  3. M Rostamkhani
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  4. M McGue
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  5. W G lacono
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  6. L S-C Cheng
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  7. J P MacMurray
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Comings, D., Wu, S., Rostamkhani, M.et al.Role of the cholinergic muscarinic 2 receptor (CHRM2) gene in cognition. Mol Psychiatry8,10–11 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.mp.4001095

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