Short paper
Correlation of CAG repeat length between the maternal and paternal allele of the Huntingtin gene: evidence for assortative mating
1 Department of Psychiatry, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, Iowa, USA
2 Department of Pediatrics, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, Iowa, USA
3 Department of Neurology, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, Iowa, USA
4 Department of Radiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
5 Department of Pediatrics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
6 Department of Anatomy & Neurobiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
7 Department of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
8 Department of Occupational Therapy, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
Behavioral and Brain Functions 2011, 7:45 doi:10.1186/1744-9081-7-45
Published: 18 October 2011Abstract
Triplet repeats contribute to normal variation in behavioral traits and when expanded, cause brain disorders. While Huntington's Disease is known to be caused by a CAG triplet repeat in the gene Huntingtin, the effect of CAG repeats on brain function below disease threshold has not been studied. The current study shows a significant correlation between the CAG repeat length of the maternal and paternal allele in the Huntingtin gene among healthy subjects, suggesting assortative mating.
