A total of 30,000 common gene variations have now been linked to the mental illness known as Schizophrenia. In addition, a similar pattern was discovered in people with bipolar disorder, commonly known as manic depression, indicating a overlap between the two conditions that was previously unrecognized.
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Three studies conducted by a team of multinational researchers, the International Schizophrenia Consortium, the Molecular Genetics of Schizophrenia consortium and SGENE, examined the DNA of almost 10,000 people who suffer from schizophrenia and that of about 20,000 people without the disorder.
The combined results of the studies determined that 30,000 gene variations exist that may contribute to the mental illness. Another significant discovery of the analyses was that schizophrenia and bipolar disorder share similar genetic patterns that challenge the current course of psychiatric treatment and research in regarding the two disorders as being unrelated.
The researchers acknowledge that the findings prove that these mental illnesses are far more complex than had been previously understood.
They also noted that the data clearly indicate that the possibility of developing of any type of rapid test for predicting either disease remains in the distant future.
Discoveries such as these are crucial for teasing out the biology of the disease making it possible for us to begin to develop drugs targeting the underlying causes and not just the symptoms of the disease.
A variety of medicines are used to treat the disorder, ranging from mood stabilizers to antipsychotics to antidepressants.
ipolar disorder often develops in a person’s late teens or early adult years. It is believed that the disorder is caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors. Just as with Schizophrenia, there is no known cure for the disease.
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