Βρεθηκαν 80 νεα γονιδια για τη σχιζοφρενεια - Ελπιδες για νεα φαρμακα
Εγινε μια μεγαλη ερευνα και βρεθηκαν 80 νεα γονιδια υπευθυνα για τη σχιζοφρενεια , καταδεικνυοντας τη βιολογικη της βαση. Υπαρχουν ελπιδες για νεα φαρμακα.
Ενας φιλανθρωπος χαρισε 650 εκατομμυρια δολλαρια στην ερευνα (επιτελους). Επισης φανηκε οτι εμπλεκονται γονιδια για τη ντοπαμινη, γλουταματη αλλα και γονιδια υπευθυνα για το ανασοποιητικο συστημα.
Περισσοτερα :
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/n...mune/12947505/
http://online.wsj.com/articles/study...nia-1406000363
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A large, multicountry study examining the genetics of schizophrenia found 108 genetic clusters associated with the disease, offering the best evidence to date about which genes play a significant role in the condition.
The research, funded by multiple governments and nonprofit foundations, involved a collaboration among hundreds of scientists and included pooling genetic data from nearly 37,000 people with schizophrenia. The researchers looked for short sequences of DNA that were more common in people with schizophrenia compared with those without the disease.
"This really is now cementing most of the genetic data of the world in schizophrenia and putting it all together," said Michael O'Donovan, a professor of psychiatric genetics at Cardiff University in the United Kingdom, one of about 300 authors on the paper, published in the journal Nature.
Previously only about 30 genes had been identified as being linked to schizophrenia, a mental illness characterized by a loss of touch with reality, such as hallucinations and delusions, that affects an estimated 24 million people globally, according to the World Health Organization.
The new data show that variations across a number of genes, rather than mutations in a small number of key genes, raise one's risk of schizophrenia, and supports the long-held idea that problems with the brain chemical dopamine contribute to the condition. Genes related to possible abnormalities with glutamate, another chemical thought to be tied to schizophrenia, were also identified, Dr. O'Donovan said.
Jonathan Flint, a professor of neuroscience at University of Oxford who wasn't involved in the work, said the quality of the findings was "about as robust as you can get." The results could yield new targets for further research into understanding the biological underpinnings of the disease, he said. "They've really managed to show that genetics play a role and that it's polygenic."
The authors cautioned there is still much to learn about the genetics of schizophrenia. The disease is thought to be highly heritable but has been difficult to study because large numbers of those affected are needed to reliably find mutations. The new findings likely account for just 3% to 4% of the total contribution of genetic and nongenetic factors in schizophrenia, Dr. O'Donovan said.
Some genes key to the immune system also appeared tied to schizophrenia, providing evidence for a theory that immune-system abnormalities may be related to the illness. But more research is needed to understand what this finding means, he said.
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