Linkage disequilibrium between the beta frequency of the human EEG and a GABAA receptor gene locus.

Porjesz, Bernice; Almasy, Laura; Edenberg, Howard J; Wang, Kongming; Chorlian, David B; Foroud, Tatiana; Goate, Alison; Rice, John P et al. · Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A · 2002

basic_science · Level V

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Abstract

Human brain oscillations represent important features of information processing and are highly heritable. A common feature of beta oscillations (13-28 Hz) is the critical involvement of networks of inhibitory interneurons as pacemakers, gated by gamma-aminobutyric acid type A (GABA(A)) action. Advances in molecular and statistical genetics permit examination of quantitative traits such as the beta frequency of the human electroencephalogram in conjunction with DNA markers. We report a significant linkage and linkage disequilibrium between beta frequency and a set of GABA(A) receptor genes. Uncovering the genes influencing brain oscillations provides a better understanding of the neural function involved in information processing.

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