New genetic schizophrenia link found

Schizophrenia is a debilitating psychiatric illness. Its cause is currently poorly understood, and there is no known cure.

In a new study published online in the open-access journal PLoS Biology, Akiko Watanabe and colleagues report the identification of a gene linked to the condition.

Of particular interest to the study of schizophrenia is the so-called “gating” mechanism in the brain. This mechanism organizes information that comes from the sense organs, and when it malfunctions, it is believed to be responsible for the characteristic symptoms of schizophrenia: delusions, hallucinations, and social withdrawal.

Watanabe and colleagues, working in both Japan and the US, studied a behavior known to indicate a faulty gating mechanism: prepulse inhibition (PPI). A loud noise should make any animal jump, unless the noise is preceded by a quieter noise, which acts as a warning. However, in some individuals with schizophrenia, PPI fails. Even noises with a preceding quiet “warning” sound will cause a startle response. Watanabe et al. investigated PPI in over 1000 mice to identify genetic variation that might underlie differences in startle response. The search honed in on the gene Fabp7.

Fabp7 (fatty acid binding protein) is involved in brain development and mental signaling. Mice that had faulty PPI had greater amounts of Fabp7, and so did the brains of deceased human patients who had experienced schizophrenia. The paper also offers some hope for the future. The authors suggest testing the benefit of altered diet during pregnancy for women with a high risk of having schizophrenic babies, as changes in the amount of Fabp7 may be linked to problems with lipid metabolism.

http://www.plos.org/

Comments

The opinions expressed here are the views of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of News Medical.
Post a new comment
Post

While we only use edited and approved content for Azthena answers, it may on occasions provide incorrect responses. Please confirm any data provided with the related suppliers or authors. We do not provide medical advice, if you search for medical information you must always consult a medical professional before acting on any information provided.

Your questions, but not your email details will be shared with OpenAI and retained for 30 days in accordance with their privacy principles.

Please do not ask questions that use sensitive or confidential information.

Read the full Terms & Conditions.

You might also like...
New deep learning algorithm predicts effects of rare genetic variants