CNNM2 in schizophrenia: multilevel evidence of genetic susceptibility, magnesium homeostasis, neurodevelopment and cognitive dysfunction

Neuroscience. 2026 Aug 15:S0306-4522(26)00557-9. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2026.08.022. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Schizophrenia (SCZ) is a common psychiatric disorder with a complex, genetically and environmentally influenced etiology, but the specific pathogenesis remains unclear. In recent years, the SCZ susceptibility gene CNNM2 (encoding cyclin M2) located at the 10q24.32-33 locus has received widespread attention. The well-validated SCZ risk interval 10q24.32-33 harbors two independent risk variants: rs11191580 in NT5C2 (significantly associated with CNNM2 mRNA and protein levels) and rs7914558 in CNNM2. Results from functional genomic analyses indicate that lower CNNM2 expression is significantly associated with SCZ. Imaging genetics studies have demonstrated that carriers of risk alleles of CNNM2 SNPs exhibit alterations in brain structure. Animal model studies have revealed that Cnnm2 downregulation in mice leads to impairments in sensorimotor gating and cognitive function. As an Mg²⁺ transporter, CNNM2 primarily maintains systemic Mg²⁺ homeostasis. According to clinical studies, a proportion of patients with SCZ exhibit reduced Mg²⁺ concentrations in plasma and cerebrospinal fluid. CNNM2 dysfunction may contribute to the pathology of SCZ by disrupting Mg²⁺ homeostasis, thereby affecting neurodevelopment and synaptic plasticity. A systematic consolidation of current evidence supporting the involvement of CNNM2 in SCZ pathogenesis provides a direction for further investigation of the pathological mechanisms underlying this disease, and for identification of novel targets for clinical intervention.

PMID:42603609 | DOI:10.1016/j.neuroscience.2026.08.022