News Medical (Feb. 19) – A genetic mutation found in two human patients with schizophrenia also increased schizophrenia-related behaviors in mice with the same mutation, a rare finding of a direct genetic link to psychosis, report researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and colleagues in Massachusetts and Germany. “The genetics of schizophrenia is very complex, and it is rare that mutations found in patients can be linked directly to the disease. Schizophrenia is not yet diagnosed by any kind of lab test or imaging; it’s still a clinical diagnosis based on symptoms. The hope is that these kinds of rare mutations could lead us to the biochemical and physiological pathways that are important to study,” said Dr. Uwe Rudolph, study leader, professor of comparative biosciences at the University of Illinois.
Genetic Mutation May Link to Schizophrenia
