At a gene level, CAM genes associated in all three samples (NRXN1 and CNTNAP2), which were previously implicated in specific language disorder, autism and schizophrenia.
These N-CAM isoforms provide potential mechanisms for expression of multiple neurobiological alterations between controls and individuals with schizophrenia or bipolar illness.
These results provide further evidence of an abnormality of N-CAM protein in chronic schizophrenia and suggest differences between schizophrenia and affective disorders in regulation of N-CAM.
Thus the changes in N-CAM and L1 antigen may reflect either the events which precipitated the onset of schizophrenia, or events which are associated with the experience of having the disease.