The clinical presentation of schizophrenia (SZ) is complex and characterized by a myriad of symptoms that may include positive, negative, and disorganized features. Because no single symptom or symptom cluster is considered pathognomonic, the current categorical/syndromal nosology may not be optimal for elucidating the molecular mechanisms underlying the illness. Consequently, it has been suggested that the current system be replaced
1 or supplemented
2 by a dimensional, symptom-based approach focused on individual, subsyndromal, and quantitative phenotypes.
3–7 Such a nosology is attractive because it provides a mechanism for studying the heterogeneity of SZ and may enhance our ability to identify the underlying pathophysiology of the illness.
8The notion that the diagnostic entity of SZ functions only as a boundary around a collection of heterogeneous pathophysiological processes is consistent with the view that SZ is a polygenic disorder in which many genes of small effect may be contributing to its risk. Moreover, it may provide an explanation for the failures to replicate so often seen in SZ genetics. Specifically, if multiple and variable genetic loci are associated with pathophysiological and phenotypic variability in SZ, substantial genetic overlap between healthy and broadly defined patient groups will exist. Thus, any comparison of these groups would likely mask or minimize the true risk alleles associated with more homogenous phenotypes.
Empirical support for a quantitative, symptom-based approach to elucidating the molecular underpinnings of SZ can be derived from family studies that demonstrate the heritability of symptom factors including positive, negative, and affective symptoms;
9 thought withdrawal, thought insertion; thought broadcasting; and delusions of control
10 and disorganization
11,12 in sibling pairs (including twins) concordant for SZ. To date, however, relatively limited work has been conducted to identify, at the molecular level, the genetic variants associated with specific clinical phenomena. Gene-symptom relationships have emerged primarily from follow-up studies of putative SZ risk genes, with only a handful of replicated findings. For example, significant relationships have been identified between single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the Disrupted in Schizophrenia 1 (
DISC1) gene and the severity of delusions in patients with SZ,
13,14 as well as between SNPs in the dystrobrevin binding protein gene (
DTNBP1) and negative symptoms in patients with SZ.
15–17 Based on these data, it seems likely that susceptibility genes for SZ may not only increase the risk for the illness but also influence the clinical presentation of the illness. Moreover, a number of studies have reported data indicating that specific genetic variants may act to modify
24 the clinical presentation of illness without increasing the overall risk for the illness. These include reported relations between negative symptoms and variation in
BDNF,
DAT1,
18 and
hkCa319; positive symptoms and variation in
DRD4,
20 DRD2,
21 CCK-A,
22 and
5-HTT23; and disorganization and variation in
DRD2.
21In contrast to candidate gene studies, genetic linkage approaches have the capacity to detect novel loci located within relatively large chromosomal regions. To date, only a few studies have utilized linkage approaches to identify quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for SZ symptoms. Brzustowicz et al
25 assessed 28 genetic markers spanning chromosome 6 for linkage to the positive, negative, and general psychopathology subscales of the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) in 10 moderate sized affected families (n

=

183). Despite no significant linkage to diagnosis, significant evidence for linkage to specific PANSS subscales was observed at several loci on chromosome 6p. Kendler et al
26 conducted a similar analysis on 4 genomic regions on chromosome 5q, 6p, 8p, and 10p that had been previously linked to the broad diagnostic category of SZ in a large sample of 265 affected families (n

=

1408) from the Irish Study of High-Density Schizophrenia Families. Linkage to 8p22-8p21 was reported for a Kraepelinian constellation of symptoms, including negative thought disorder, affective deterioration, and poor outcome. Wilcox et al
27 conducted a genome-wide linkage scan of symptoms in SZ, in a study of 51 families (n

=

136) derived from the National Institute of Mental Health–funded Genetics Initiative on Schizophrenia. These analyses revealed suggestive linkage to chromosomes 6, 9, and 20 for the disorganized symptoms trait and to chromosome 12 for the negative symptoms trait. Finally, Fanous et al
28 recently conducted a genome-wide scan in 270 Irish high-density families (n

=

755), using clinically homogeneous phenotypes derived from a latent class analysis of the Operational Criteria Checklist for Psychotic Illness. This analysis implicated several regions of suggestive linkage to clinical phenotypes including a region on chromosome 20 linked to deficit syndrome,
2 a clinical phenotype characterized by severe negative symptoms.
Unfortunately, follow-up linkage disequilibrium studies have not been reported, and no genes in these previously identified linkage regions have been identified that significantly influence the clinical presentation of SZ. Thus, the present study was designed to densely map the previously implicated linkage regions to detect the specific genes in these regions that may be acting to modify the clinical presentation of SZ.