To a large extent, schizophrenia and other psychiatric disorders are illnesses caused by genes. Now teams of scientists from research centers around the world, looking at the genetics of nearly 80,000 people, have worked together to identify 108 genetic loci associated with the disorder. It is the largest genetic study ever conducted of a psychiatric disorder.
Researchers are finally beginning to gain some scientific understanding of many common brain disorders, including schizophrenia (see “Shining a Light on Madness”). The lack of such understanding to date has meant there hasn’t been a true new breakthrough drug to treat these disorders in 50 years. And while we’re still far from turning new insights into effective and safe drugs, at least the emerging knowledge is giving researchers some options in exploring potential treatments.
In today’s study, published in Nature, the scientists pointed out that, importantly, the more than 100 variants were not randomly distributed but tend to affect genes expressed in certain tissues and cell types. That’s good news because it suggests that despite the genetic complexity, drug researchers might be able to zero in on specific common pathways or types of cells in attempts to tackle these disorders.
Don’t settle for half the story.
Get paywall-free access to technology news for the here and now.