Eyes on the Mind: Retinal Clues to Schizophrenias Genetic Roots

A groundbreaking study has found that our eyes may hold subtle signs of schizophrenia before symptoms ever appear. Researchers from the University of Zurich and ETH Zurich discovered that people with higher genetic risk for schizophrenia show slight thinning in specific layers of the retina, even without a diagnosis. 

Using data from nearly 35,000 participants in the UK Biobank, the study linked schizophrenia-related genes to reduced thickness in the macula, the retina’s central region vital for sharp vision. A key discovery was thinning in the ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer (GCIPL), particularly among individuals with genes tied to inflammation. The likely culprit? Neuroinflammation. Higher genetic risk was also linked to increased levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), a marker of inflammation, which may help explain the retinal changes. While retinal imaging isn’t a stand-alone diagnostic tool, it could become a useful, noninvasive way to monitor risk when combined with other markers. The research adds weight to the idea that inflammation and neurodegeneration play a role in schizophrenia, and that the retina might offer a glimpse into the brain’s hidden battles.

Sources:

https://www.insideprecisionmedicine.com/topics/precision-medicine/retina-thickness-offers-noninvasive-insights-into-schizophrenia-genetics/

https://www.nature.com/articles/s44220-025-00414-6#Sec2

Is there a genetic factor in depression

 Depression and depression-related disorders (DD) are some of the most common and studied mental illnesses. An individual with depression or a DD can experience a wide range of symptoms, from disinterest in hobbies to suicidal thoughts. Depression often affects an individual beginning in adolescence and can last a lifetime. Medications are available for people who struggle with depression. Depression can also have many causes such as a hormonal imbalance or trauma. 

In 2018 physiologists and geneticists attempted to discover a clear genetic link to depression. They analyzed the genome of individuals with depression and DD who also had a familial history of the condition. Through their analysis, they were unable to determine a clear link. I chose to highlight this study because it shows that there is still a lot more for us to discover related to depression and its heritability. 

Genetic Component to Seasonal Affective Disorder

 

    Seasonal affective disorder, also known as SAD is a form of depression related to the change in season. Most people affected by SAD experience a depressive episode during the change from spring and summer to fall and winter. Seasonal affective disorder can be treated through medications and light therapy and symptoms can range from mild to severe depression. 

    As awareness around mental health conditions grows, research into causes and risk factors has also expanded. In 2018 a paper was published in Nature magazine focused on a possible genetic component to seasonal affective disorder. Genetic risk factors for other mental illnesses have been determined through similar genetic analysis. During this study however, researchers did not find one gene statistically significant but concluded there is a stong likelihood that gene ZBTB20 is involved. Researchers determined gene ZBTB20 had the strongest association through he genome-wide analysis. 

Are Mental Illnesses Inheritable?

The question of whether mental illness is genetic tends to be a complicated discussion. It is most likely caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors. Conditions like depression and schizophrenia tend to be more closely related to genetics than some other disorders. There is still much to be explored between the relationship of mental illness and genetics. However, it is usually caused by a combination of four main factors: genetics, environmental, psychological, and biological factors. While there is no current genetic test to determine if you carry a specific gene that is likely to lead to a specific mental illness, one's best bet is to review their familial line to determine their genetic risks for developing a mental illness. With this being said, if you do have a close family member with a particular illness that does not mean you will develop it, there is just an increased risk.  

Focusing specifically on depression, it is one of the most common mental illnesses that affects nearly 350 million people around the world. The genetic components of this condition are still being explored, however it is heavily involved with genes that regulate neurotransmitters (like serotonin transporter genes). Overall chemical imbalances, childhood trauma, life stressors and drug and alcohol abuse can also contribute to the development of mental illnesses. While we still have a lot we don’t know, there are links between genetics and mental illnesses. By studying more about these contributing factors, we can learn how to manage our mental illnesses and live a balanced life.  

Is Genetics Linked to Suicide?

Stated in an article on Genetic Literacy Project’s website, many studies point out the connection between your genome and suicide and mental illness. This article mentions how suicide is a complex illness, and there are many factors to it.  The researches in the past study showed that certain DNA markers are involved and are seen in people who have already died by suicide.

In this newest and largest study, it addresses those different markers like knowing someone who already died from suicide and non-positive life events can also be a factor to why someone would commit suicide. Being that genetic variations impacts your personality and your traits, it also includes other factors like being lonely (social), poverty, and the use of drugs and alcohol. These factors have an important part of suicidal behavior.

Running test, like done in this study, could help to identify a few of these factors and genetic variation and help prevent suicide. The article also brought into light that genetics and biology about suicidal behavior could help understand mental illness even more. I think if running your genome sequence could help prevent more suicides, then I think you should. Knowing a little information is better than not knowing anything at all.

Can genetic variants predict depression risk in young people?

In a recent article on MedicalNewsToday, the idea of analyzing the genetic makeup of adults with depression is being used to predict which children are at risk for developing the illness. Several researchers have come together to work on creating a gene map of children who they believe are likely to develop depression. Data was analyzed from over 460,000 adults and they were able to calculate risk scores for children. In the group of children participants of ages seven to eighteen, 279 had symptoms of depression and 187 were healthy. The researchers also looked at the effect of early experiences of abuse on the young participants' mental health. Using the polygenic risk score calculations and exposure to childhood abuse helped the researchers to predict children at risk for depression.

After reading this article, I truly find the research to be very interesting and important. If researchers can accurately predict which children are going to develop depression, it can help reduce the amount of people that suffer from the illness. Depression can take over a person's life and knowing ahead of time who might develop the illness may help to prevent it.

Genetic Origin of Insomnia

In an article within Scientific American, there are biological side of insomnia which influences the brain and biological processes and uncovered a tie with heart disease and mental illness, genome-wide association studies (GWASs), which examine DNA from many thousands of individuals to determine where genetic markers related to health, disease or a particular trait reside. There were two studies that analyzed genomes and found genes which were affected. The results showed that insomnia is more related to neuropsychiatric disorders than sleep habits such as morning or night person. In addition, insomnia may be linked to causing depression and coronary artery disease. 

As someone who has a hard time sleeping occasionally, it can take a toll on your body both physically and mentally. Genetic origin of the affects on different genes of insomnia is something that can impact the future of how people can treat it. People make false ideas about curing insomnia by drinking tea or listening to ocean waves when in reality it's there genetics that are controlling the effects. 

Genetic Links associated with Schizophrenia Discovered

Professor Sir Mike Owen, at the MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics at Cardiff University have found more than fifty new genes that may increase your risk of developing schizophrenia. In a study, titled, “Common Schizophrenia alleles are enriches in mutation-intolerant genes and in regions under strong background selection,” conducted using more than one-hundred thousand individuals, and of those forty-thousand with diagnosed schizophrenia, genes associated with the development of schizophrenia and other neurodevelopment diseases, such as autism, have been isolated.

From this experiment, a major link between the genes associated with schizophrenia and the genes dealing with development has been discovered. If your genes associated with development are compromised, then your risk for developing schizophrenia is increased. For the first time, it is understood that the mutation of these fifty genes can increase your risk for development schizophrenia. In addition, an important question was answered: “if people with schizophrenia have, on average, fewer children than people without the disorder, why does schizophrenia still affect so many people?” The answer is that the genes affiliated with the mental disorder occur in a good majority of the population, and the area, on the genome, where these genes reside, is where natural selection is not very effective. With that, these genes have yet to disappear from the genome, which is why people are still affected by schizophrenia.

This study will be furthered, but, for now, has opened the door for many new treatment options. By understanding the complexity and genetics behind schizophrenia, personalized treatment options may be available, in the future. With better treatment options, those suffering from the schizophrenia will be able to live a better life, without worrying about their illness.

Article: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/02/180227111701.htm

Image: http://assets1.bigthink.com/system/idea_thumbnails/51344/size_1024/brain_sketch.jpg?1372009404

Past Environment and Evolution Impacts On Mental Illness

Mental illness have been the condition that still cannot be fully be cure in today society. It is due to hundreds and thousands of mutations in genes and DNA. Thus, it is very difficult for scientists to track how many genetics region evolved with the mutation. There are two research teams that trying to incorporate mental illness's genetic variation into environmental context. One of the team leaded by geneticist Barbara Strange was trying to find DNA variant thought through evolution of the past 2,000 years to protect against schizophrenia. However, there was no such signals. Another team leaded by human geneticist by Renato Polimati, he looked at 2,455 DNA across 23 sites across European and he founded that the areas with lower winter temperature were slightly genetically more prone to schizophrenia. He suggests that the genes help people to tolerate the cold must lay close to variants that promote schizophrenia. This article in different from the rest of researches regarding mental illness. In my opinion, this article do a great job summing up the two main research regarding the mental illness and the reader can understand about the research. It was fascinating in a way that environmental factor can have such impact on mental illness, rather than just genetic mutations alone.
http://www.nature.com.ezproxy.stockton.edu/polopoly_fs/1.22914!/menu/main/topColumns/topLeftColumn/pdf/nature.2017.22914.pdf
http://science.sciencemag.org.ezproxy.stockton.edu/content/354/6313/760

Genetic Links to Depression

Without a doubt, genetic research is always improving. With time, finding where certain diseases originate on the genome will be relatively easy. However, mental illnesses are not caused by a single or couple different abnormalities decoded on the human genome. There is still constant question of the origin mental illnesses when discussing genetics. Although there are many things we do not now, genetic research has allowed us to know some things about mental illness such as depression and its relationship to its genes. For example, the article discusses an example where twins are more likely to be depressed if the other twin is depressed, compared to two siblings who are not twins (not as similar of a genome). If a person does not have depression in the family, the likely assumption is that stress has caused the depression.


I chose this article because I am very interested in mental health and its genetic background to mental illnesses. Although there is not much to know, there is a lot to learn about the genetic relationship between depression in people. In the article, Dr. Krystal explains "The genetics of depression are very hard to study." Time will allow us to find about more about the genetic connection.

References:
Picture: http://img.medscape.com/news/2015/dt_150501_depression_brain_dna_800x600.jpg
Article: http://google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&ved=0ahUKEwia-cmwzdLWAhXE1IMKHTj2BlEQjRwIBw&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ptable.com%2F&psig=AOvVaw305CqLukgtrikhU1Ik9ovb&ust=1507056574578173