US researchers have identified several genes related to brain function that may increase the risk of developing schizophrenia, according to a new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Scientists compared the whole genome of 1,735 people with schizophrenia with the genome of 3,485 healthy controls and found regions of variation in or near several genes, including in some genes involved in brain signalling and brain development.
'When we compared the genomes of patients with schizophrenia to those of healthy subjects, we found variations in genes that regulate brain functions, several of which are already known to be perturbed in patients with this disorder', said lead researcher Dr Hakon Hakonarson, director of the Center for Applied Genomics at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.
The variation found between the regions was due to copy number variants. A copy number variant is a large segment of DNA that is repeated, with the number of repeats differing between individuals due to deletions or duplications. The repeated segment may span an entire gene or a series of genes, thereby encompassing more genetic information than the single nucleotide changes analysed in most genetic studies.
Interestingly, some of the varying regions highlighted in this study have also been implicated in other mental disorders. In particular, one region of deletions found in this study was identified in an earlier study of autism spectrum disorders (also conducted by Dr Hakonarson).
'Although different brain regions may be affected in these different mental disorders, these overlaps suggest that there may be common features in their underlying pathogenesis. These genes affect synaptic function, so deletions or duplications in those genes may alter how brain circuits are formed', said Dr Hakonarson.
'Although much research remains to be done, detecting genes on specific pathways is a first step to identifying more specific targets for improved drug treatments', he added.
Related Articles
Scientists find genetic link to sporadic schizophrenia
US researchers have linked mutations in 40 genes to sporadic schizophrenia. The evidence suggests that 50 percent of people with schizophrenia without a family history of the condition have 'de novo' DNA mutations that were not passed on from their parents...
Stem cell research may help our understanding of schizophrenia
Skin cells from four people with schizophrenia have been successfully reprogrammed into an embryonic-like state and then transformed into brain cells. The research, published in Nature, offers scientists a novel way to study the causes of schizophrenia...
Rare gene mutation linked to schizophrenia
Scientists have identified a rare gene mutation which they believe is linked to schizophrenia. The researchers from the University of California, San Diego and Trinity College Dublin performed a genome-wide association scan...
New genetic clues to schizophrenia uncovered
An international team of researchers has identified a new gene, CYMA5, which is thought to be associated with schizophrenia...
Gene-ecology interactions and psychological disorders
The models emerging from behavioural biology are increasingly sophisticated. They do not undermine the quest for candidate genes, but rather augment our understanding of why those genes might persist in populations and be differentially expressed across circumstances....
Are genetic markers helpful in understanding psychological disorders?
In their concluding remarks, all three speakers said the answer to the question implicit in the event's title - if you are genetically predisposed to a neurodevelopmental disorder, does this effectively mean you are marked for life? - is an emphatic 'no'. Nonetheless, they had divergent views on the likelihood of successfully applying the fruits of genetic research into mental health...
Gene variant provides clues to mental illness
Researchers at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, have identified a gene that may be involved in mental illness and maintaining brain health. The scientists compared the genes of 2,000 psychiatric patients and 2,000 healthy people in Scotland. They discovered that the ABCA13 gene was faulty more frequently in patients with severe mental illness - such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and depression - than in the healthy control group....
Genes Provide Clue For Schizophrenia Risk
Thousands of tiny genetic variations that could collectively be responsible for more than a third of the inherited risk of schizophrenia have been identified for the first time. Data was pooled from three separate studies and reanalysed to uncover the results. Further, a common genetic basis was found for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, which have previously been considered as separate conditions. The three linked papers describing the research were published together online in the journa...
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.