A new study has discovered two previously unknown genes that are linked to schizophrenia, as well as a third gene that carries risk for both schizophrenia and autism, as per a press release.

The study was led by the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and was conducted across diverse populations.

Schizophrenia Risk in Diverse Populations

Schizophrenia is one of the most severe mental illnesses, affecting 1 in every 100 people, and can drastically alter the way people think, feel, and behave. 

The research is groundbreaking as it is the first of its kind to examine schizophrenia risk in diverse populations, particularly those of African ancestry.

The scientists identified the SRRM2 and AKAP11 genes, which pose a risk for schizophrenia, by comparing the gene sequences of individuals with schizophrenia to those without the disease.

The meta-analysis included data from existing studies with a total of 35,828 cases and 107,877 controls.

The researchers found that rare damaging variants in genes that have been evolutionarily constrained, such as those identified in this study, pose similar magnitudes of schizophrenia risk across different populations.

Previously established genetic factors in predominantly white individuals have now been extended to non-whites for schizophrenia.

The study also identified a shared risk for schizophrenia and autism linked to the PCLO gene, which was previously implicated in schizophrenia.

Dr. Charney, a co-senior corresponding author of the study, suggests that this finding raises questions about how we perceive brain diseases in general.

He states, "It's been known that there are genetic components shared among illnesses. The idea of the same gene having different manifestations is very interesting to us, as it could be useful when it comes to treating people in the clinic."

The researchers warn that not all patients have rare damaging variants in the identified schizophrenia genes, and the disease is multifactorial with no single cause.

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Clinical Implications

The team is planning to examine the clinical implications of these genes and how they may be associated with specific schizophrenia symptoms or behaviors. They will also work to identify drugs that target the genes identified in the study.

The late Pamela Sklar, MD, Ph.D., a psychiatrist, geneticist, and neuroscientist, conceptualized the study design to select genes and investigate them in a large number of cases and controls.

Laura M. Huckins, Ph.D., a co-senior corresponding author of the study, was grateful to the global collaborators who helped them achieve their shared goal of improving patients' lives. She stated, "our ultimate shared goal in the field is to improve patients' lives, and we are grateful to our collaborators who partnered with us on this effort."

This new study builds upon previous research that identified ten risk genes for schizophrenia. However, the earlier research was conducted solely on individuals of white European ancestry, unlike the current study which includes individuals from different ancestral backgrounds.

The study was published in Nature.

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