A research team at Washington University in St. Louis, MO lead by Dr. C. Robert Cloninger investigated the genetic influence on schizophrenic disorders.  Approximately 1% of the general population have schizophrenia, but it occurs in around 10% of individuals who have a first-degree relative with this disorder.

Previous research like a study done at Cardiff University of Medicine focused on identifying new genes linked to Schizophrenia. However, in this study, Dr. Cloninger and his team choose to take a more collaborative approach by considering the interaction of several genes.  "[Genes] function in concert much like an orchestra, and to understand how they're working, you have to know not just who the members of the orchestra and how they interact."

In this study the genomes of 4,2000 people with schizophrenia and 3,800 without the disorder were analyzed. The team examined nearly 700,000 areas of the genome searching for  single nucleotidepolymorpism (SNP). SNP occurs when there is a variation within a single unit of DNA.

                                         WHATS THE IMPORTANCE? 

The study found that genes that are linked to schizophrenia individually have inconsistent associations with the disorder, however; when working together as clusters, they created a risk of 70-100% for the development of the disorder.

In identifying the genetic variations and symptoms they produce, it may be possible to select more efficient treatments for specific pathways that are responsible for the disorder. Dr. Cloninger and his research team's approach appears to be an efficient and innovative way to examine the source of this disease. Considering a larger scale, the application of this research can expand and be groundbreaking in regards to understanding other common complex health issues such as heart disease, diabetes and hypertension. 

Article: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/282539.php