Article Image

IPFS News Link • Science, Medicine and Technology

SCIENTISTS DISCOVER GENETIC, BIOLOGIC CAUSE OF SCHIZOPHRENIA

• http://www.popsci.com

Schizophrenia can present itself with any number of symptoms, from disorganized thinking or motor behavior, to hallucinations or delusions. Together these manifestations often leave a patient unable to function normally and with very few effective treatment options. And though researchers had not been able to figure out the underlying cause of the disease, they've learned a lot in the past few years—genetic mutationsprobably play a role, as does the immune system and the microbiome. Now scientists have identified a genetic variant in schizophrenic patients that links many of these previous observations, according to a study published today inNature. If the researchers have in fact discovered the underlying biological cause for schizophrenia as they claim, it could lead to better treatments for the condition.


PurePatriot