Scientists Discover New Schizophrenia Risk Genes, Reports Say

One of the difficulties of studying the genetics of schizophrenia is its rather generic diagnostic criteria and thin distinction from other psychotic disorders.

A new study has discovered genes linked to schizophrenia, according to media reports. Per the researchers, the study increases the understanding of brain diseases and could lead to new treatment.

"The motivation for this study was to better understand how rare genetic variants influence a person's risk for developing severe mental illness, specifically the mental illness schizophrenia," genetic psychiatrist Alexander Charney from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai said.

The new research showed that people with schizophrenia have more rare protein-truncating variants (PTVs) than people without the illness.

Two new risk genes, SRRM2 and AKAP11, were identified in the study after comparing the gene sequences of people with schizophrenia to those of healthy people.

"By focusing on a subset of genes, we discovered rare damaging variants that could potentially lead to new medicines for schizophrenia," geneticist and data analyst Dongjing Liu from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai said, as quoted by media.

Schizophrenia is a mental disorder affecting approximately 24 million people, or 1 in 300 people worldwide, according to the WHO. It causes severe psychosis and split personality, which results in hallucinations, delusions, as well as disordered thinking and behavior.