Differential expression of diacylglycerol kinase ζ is involved in inferior parietal lobule-related dysfunction in schizophrenia with cognitive impairments

Abstract

Abstract Background: Cognitive impairment is the main factor in poor prognosis of schizophrenia, but its mechanism remains unclear. The inferior parietal lobule (IPL) is related to various clinical symptoms and cognitive impairment in schizophrenia. We aimed to explore the relationship between IPL-related functions and cognitive impairment in schizophrenia. Methods: 136 schizophrenia patients and 146 demographically matched healthy controls were enrolled. High-spatial-resolution structural images and resting-state functional images were acquired to demonstrate the alternations of brain structure and function, while the digit span and digit symbol task of the Chinese Wechsler Adult Intelligence Test Revised (WAIS-RC) were utilized in assessing the cognitive function of the subjects. Based on the Allen Human Brain Atlas, we obtained genes that were differentially expressed in the left IPL and then intersected with the results of transcriptome-wide association study results. Results: We found a negative correlation between digit span backward task score and amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF) of the left IPL in healthy controls (r= −0.388, P = 0.003), which was not seen in patients (r = 0.203, P = 0.020). In addition, none of the other correlation analyses wasstatistically significant (P > 0.017). In addition, We found that diacylglycerol kinase ζ (DGKζ) is differentially expressed in the left IPL and associated with schizophrenia. Conclusion: Our study demonstrates the left IPL plays a vital role in cognitive impairment in schizophrenia. DGKζ may act as an essential regulator in the left IPL of schizophrenia patients with cognitive impairment.