Genetic cause of schizophrenia discovered: study

London, Mar 29 (UNI) Scientists have made an important breakthrough in understanding the genetic causes of schizophrenia.

According to a study, multiple mutations in many genes are likely to be a critical trigger for the condition, which underscores the importance Deoxyribonucleic acid plays in whether someone is likely to have schizophrenia.

Thomas Insel, director of the US National Institute of Mental Health in Washington which oversaw the study on 150 schizophrenic patients whose DNA was compared to that of 268 healthy people, said, "Identifying genes prone to harbouring these mutations in brain development pathways holds promise for treatment and prevention of schizophrenia, as well as a wide range of other neuro developmental brain disorders." Medical researchers in the United States believe that the findings, in the journal Science, will raise fresh hopes of developing a new class of drugs to combat the effects of the genetic mutations on the brain.

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