The discovery was made by an international team of scientists from the Queensland Institute of Medical Research and University of Edinburgh, who were able to detect the gene ABCA13, active in hippocampus--key memory center-- and cortex regions of the brain, and associated with the mental conditions.
They are hopeful that this discovery will help in furthering early diagnosis and treatment of such mental illnesses.
Furthermore, the gentic link may also enable a proper understanding of the factors which lead to schizophrenia and bipolar disorder development.
Genetic analysis
For the study, scientists did a genetic analysis on a patient with chronic schizophrenia. They found that the patient had a break in his DNA, right in the middle of the ABCA13 gene.
This implied that the gene wouldn’t work properly. Therefore, scientists conjectured the break as a probable cause of the mental ailment.
The scientists then carried out the genetic analysis in 3000 other people who were patients of varied mental illnesses such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and depression
, and compared them with people who did not suffer from these conditions.
"We found that the gene was involved in 4 per cent of individuals with bipolar and 2 per cent of people with schizophrenia. This is quite significant, since we think that these disorders are caused by hundreds or even thousands of genes," they said.
The study appears in the American Journal of Human Genetics.
More on schizophrenia
According to Wikipedia, schizophrenia is a psychiatric abnormality characterized by abnormalities in the perception or expression of reality.
It most commonly manifests as paranoid or bizarre delusions, or disorganized speech and thinking with significant social or occupational dysfunction.
Onset of symptoms typically occurs in young adulthood. Diagnosis is based on the patient's self-reported experiences and observed behavior.
If left untreated, it could lead to severe psychotic abnormalities in future.
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