Analysis of and Risk Variants on Cardiac Autonomic Function in Patients with Schizophrenia.

Background: Cardiac autonomic dysfunction (CADF) is a major contributor to increased cardiac mortality in schizophrenia patients. The aberrant function of voltage-gated ion channels, which are widely distributed in the brain and heart, may link schizophrenia and CADF. In search of channel-encoding genes that are associated with both CADF and schizophrenia, and are promising candidates.

Associations of common genetic risk variants of the muscarinic acetylcholine receptor M2 with cardiac autonomic dysfunction in patients with schizophrenia.

Objectives: Decreased vagal modulation, which has consistently been observed in schizophrenic patients, might contribute to increased cardiac mortality in schizophrenia. Previously, associations between (Cholinergic Receptor Muscarinic 2) and cardiac autonomic features have been reported. Here, we tested for possible associations between these polymorphisms and heart rate variability in patients with schizophrenia.