Schizophrenia is one of the most puzzling brain disorders that affect people. In a recent study though, scientists have found some clues in the genes which could provide an answer to the cause of schizophrenia.
Harvard scientists from the Broad Institute and Boston Children's Hospital conducted a study on 64,000 individuals, half of which were schizophrenic, according to a report published by Nature. The scientists led by Dr. Steven McCarroll analyzed their genomes and came to a conclusion that one human genome, MHC, can be the cause of the disorder.
"MHC has hundreds of genes, most of which contribute to the immune system," Dr. McCarroll said. He also added that although unclear there had been hints of a relationship between the immune system genes and the schizophrenia disorder.
It was found that schizophrenia often emerges during the teenage years, CBC mentioned. The same stage when the "pruning" of the synapse normally happen. This "pruning" is a result of one brain molecule, related to the immune system, guiding the wiring of the brain, and eliminating unutilized synapses.
The authors suggest that schizophrenia is found in individuals carrying these genes. They are the ones who have trouble with the pruning process of the synapses, according to CNN. Brain cells clean it up, ridding it of information that it does not use. After the pruning process, clearer connections are established.
"On some level, as a model or explanation, this makes much more sense because it connects the disease to a normal developmental process that ... in about one percent of the population, somehow goes awry or out of control," McCarroll explained. "At least we know where to look. If you look at the areas where there are lots of effective drugs today, like cancer ... there's a biological understanding that made it possible to develop new medicines."
