Schizophrenia is a serious mental condition, characterized by hallucinations, periods of psychosis and a detachment from reality. It affects 1 in 300 people worldwide and about 60-80% of schizophrenia diagnosed are hereditary. Is there an easier way to detect schizophrenia instead of trying to diagnose it too late in a person life. Researchers have found variation in a small number of genes that appear to dramatically increase the likelihood of developing schizophrenia in some people. A new study came out stating that for some people who possess mutations in the 10 genes have the likelihood of developing the disease can be 10, 20, and even 50 time greater.
This is indeed a great start since before they were diagnosing people at their late teens and early adult years. Now scientists can also identify that since schizophrenia is heredity than some factors that could bring up some symptoms could be environment. The mutations in the genes considered most likely to lead to schizophrenia appear to disrupt one way neurons in the brain communicate across synapses, the tiny spaces between them.
One study conducted by Psychiatric Genomics Consortium (PGC) analyzed genetic information from 77,000 people with schizophrenia and 244,000 people without it. They found nearly 300 regions of the genome that could be linked to a person's risk of developing schizophrenia. Within those regions, they discovered 120 genes that could play a role in causing the disorder. This is only the early stages of gene discovery, of how scientists can finally identify schizophrenia more effectively for the future.
- Bernstein, L. (2022, April 6). Researchers identify new genetic link to schizophrenia. The Washington Post. Retrieved April 13, 2022, from https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2022/04/06/schizophrenia-genetic-link/
- (www.dw.com), D. W. (2022). Schizophrenia: Gene discovery indicates risk and cause: DW: 06.04.2022. DW.COM. Retrieved April 13, 2022, from https://www.dw.com/en/schizophrenia-gene-discovery-indicates-risk-and-cause/a-61379102
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