Schizophrenia has many genetic links, study says

By Andrew M. Seaman

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Over 100 locations on the human genome may play a role in a person's risk of developing schizophrenia, according to a new study.

While the findings don't have immediately benefits for patients, one author said they open lines of research into a topic that had looked closed.

"The exciting thing about having little openings is it gives you a place to dig and make big openings," said Steve McCarroll, director of genetics for the Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research at the Broad Institute in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

McCarroll is part of the Schizophrenia Working Group of the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium, which published the study in Nature July 22 online.

Researchers have long believed genetics play an important role in schizophrenia, because about 10% of those with a parent or sibling with schizophrenia also have the disorder.

By comparing the genomes of over 80,000 people with and without the disorder, the researchers identified 108 locations on the human genome that are tied to schizophrenia, including 83 that had not been previously linked to it.

Some of the genes found to be linked to schizophrenia risk include those that have also been tied to how brain cells communicate with each other and to learning and memory.

"Every one of us has dozens of these variants," McCarroll said. "Schizophrenia patients on average have more than unaffected individuals but that's only true on average, not every individual case."

The new findings support the use of some existing treatments for the symptoms of schizophrenia and researchers hope they may point to other more comprehensive treatments.

The research team also found evidence to support a long-suspected link between immune system problems and the disorder.

Research into schizophrenia is just at the beginning of what there is to learn, McCarroll said.

"We have a long way to go," said Dr. Steve Hyman, director of the Stanley Center. "One thing I often say is it would be a great tragedy to end up with a list of genes. The goal is obviously to understand the disease process and develop treatments."

The Broad Institute also announced on Tuesday a $650 million gift to the Stanley Center from its namesake Ted Stanley. The commitment, which includes annual gifts and a bequest, is the largest in the history of psychiatric research, according to the Institute.

The gift will allow researchers studying psychiatric disorders to take greater risks than before, Hyman said.

"If we take sensible risks and we never fail, we're being too timid," he said. "We're not going to solve these problems with tried-and-true paths."

SOURCE: http://bit.ly/UmbOhj

Nature 2014.

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