Experts from the University of California (San Diego) were able to find the cause of schizophrenia. It turned out that very rare genetic mutations are responsible for the development of this mental illness.
As part of the study, experts studied the data of more than 41 thousand people (diagnosed with schizophrenia and healthy). They managed to find several regions of the genome where mutations increase the risk of developing schizophrenia from 4 to 60 times. These mutations are most commonly known as DNA sequence duplications and copy number variants. They affect dozens of genes in the body, which can lead to disruption or duplication of one gene, which will lead to changes in the genome and mental disorders. Scientists managed to find 8 similar places that can be associated with schizophrenia. The most common abnormalities were found in genes that are involved in the function of synapses.
Experts are confident that in the future they will be able to detect other genomic variations that affect the development of schizophrenia and other mental illnesses.
Inna Solntseva