<i>CHRNA7</i>and<i>CHRFAM7A</i>mRNAs: Co-Localized and Their Expression Levels Altered in the Postmortem Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex in Major Psychiatric Disorders

Abstract

These data show preferential fetal CHRFAM7A expression in the human prefrontal cortex and suggest abnormalities in the CHRFAM7A/CHRNA7 ratios in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, due mainly to overexpression of CHRFAM7A. Given that these transcripts are coexpressed in a subset of human cortical neurons and can interact to alter function of nAChRs, these results support the concept of aberrant function of nAChRs in mental illness.