Genome-wide association study of schizophrenia using microsatellite markers in the Japanese population

Objectives To search for schizophrenia susceptibility loci, we carried out a case–control study using 28601 microsatellite markers distributed across the entire genome. Materials and methods To control the highly multiple testing, we designed three sequential steps of screening using three independent sets of pooled samples, followed by the confirmatory step using an independent sample set (>2200 case–control pairs). Results The first screening using pooled samples of 157 case–control pairs showed 2966 markers to be significantly associated with the disorder (P Conclusion Genome-wide association study using microsatellite markers suggested SLC23A3, CNPPD1, and FAM134A genes as candidates for schizophrenia susceptibility in the Japanese population.