ScienceDaily (Dec. 4. 2007) Scientists at the Zucker Hillside Hospital campus of the Feinstein initiate for Medical Research have identified nine genetic markers that can increase a person's risk for schizophrenia. The research team uncovered original bear witness that this disabling brain disease can be inherited in a recessive manner. A recessive trait is one that is inherited from both parents.
"If a person inherits identical copies of these markers from each parent his or her risk for schizophrenia increases substantially," said Todd Lencz. PhD associate director of investigate at Zucker Hillside and the lead author of the study. "If these results are confirmed they could change state up new avenues for research in schizophrenia and severe mental illness," said Anil Malhotra. MD director of psychiatric investigate at Zucker Hillside and senior investigator of the study.
The scientists developed a complex mathematical approach called whole genome homozygosity association (WGHA) that provides a new way of analyzing genetic information. It enables scientists to simultaneously look at genetic information derived from the patient's care and father and determine pieces of chromosomes that are identical. They tested genetic material from 178 patients and 144 controls.
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 but each gene has a small effect. It is the wrong mix of many genes plus unknown environmental stressors that trigger the onset of symptoms. One in every 100 people suffer from schizophrenia a condition marked by episodes of hallucinations delusions and disordered thinking.
The new findings suggest another scenario at least for a subset of patients. Dr. Lencz and his colleagues identified nine regions along the chromosomes that might compete a large role in triggering the disease when two identical variants are inherited. Four of these 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. Many genes located in these regions are involved with the coordinate and survival of neurons.
In genetic parlance several of these markers demonstrated high penetrance meaning that their effect on disease risk was large. In the study. 81 percent of the schizophrenia patients had at least.
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