Nine Schizophrenia Genes Are Identified

U.S. medical scientists have identified nine genetic markers that can increase a person’s risk of developing schizophrenia.

Researchers at the Zucker Hillside Hospital at the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research said their finding is evidence the disabling brain disease can be inherited in a recessive manner — a trait that is inherited from both parents.

If these results are confirmed, they could open up new avenues for research in schizophrenia and severe mental illness, said Dr. Anil Malhotra, senior investigator of the study.

It has been the prevailing view in psychiatric genetics that there are probably dozens, if not hundreds, of genetic variations that could lead to schizophrenia. The new findings suggest another scenario, at least for a subset of patients.

Lencz and his colleagues identified nine regions along the chromosomes that might play a large role in triggering the disease when two identical variants are inherited. Four of the regions contain genes that have been previously associated with schizophrenia, providing validation for the technique. The remaining five regions provide an additional set of newly discovered genetic risk factors.

The study appears in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.