LOS ANGELES (Dispatches)-Scientists have found dozens of genes and two major biological pathways that are likely involved in the development of the disorder but had not been uncovered in previous genetic studies of schizophrenia.
Using a recently developed technology for analyzing DNA, researchers say that the work provides important new information about how schizophrenia originates and points the way to more detailed studies -- and possibly better treatments in the future.
"This work provides a road map for understanding how common genetic variation associated with a complex disease affects specific genes and pathways," said principal investigator Dr. Daniel Geschwind, the Gordon and Virginia MacDonald Distinguished Chair in Human Genetics and professor of neurology and psychiatry at UCLA's David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.
The study is likely to have an impact beyond schizophrenia research because it demonstrates a general and potentially powerful new strategy for illuminating the mechanisms of human disease.
Schizophrenia is a chronic, disabling mental illness whose symptoms can include hallucinations, delusions and cognitive problems. The illness afflicts about 1 percent of the human population.