Amanda Days

Professor Janet Rinehart-Kim

Genetics BIOL 294

10/14/2022

“Writing Assignment 4”

            Recently, new genes have been found that lead to an increase in the likelihood of acquiring schizophrenia, which is a brain disorder associated with hallucinations, delusions, and the inability to function. This could eventually lead to improved treatment for those with this disorder, prevention, or even a cure.

            Schizophrenia is usually diagnosed between ages 16 and 30 and can affect people’s lives tremendously. The symptoms usually fall within three categories, those being psychotic, negative, and cognitive (NIMH, 2022). According to the article regarding this disease, posted by the Washington Post, less than one percent of people in the U.S. have this disease. Those who have it seek treatment from an array of antipsychotic medications. This disease has hereditary components, but there are also environmental and physical factors that affect the risk of this disease as well (NIMH, 2022).

            The technology needed to isolate the genes in this study would not have been made possible without the sequencing of the human genome and the improvement of technology regarding research in genetics (Bernstein, 2022). This involved sequencing the exomes of subjects with and without the disease to see where and if any variations occurred. The results showed that there were rare variations in ten genes and there were twenty-two more that were also involved. Some genes were known to be involved with other disorders like the autism spectrum disorder and other intellectual development disorders. It was further concluded that mutations in the genes could result in the disruption of certain neurons in the brain and affect how they communicate across the synapses which could be a cause of schizophrenia (Bernstein, 2022).

            A different article posted by the National Institute of Mental Health concurs with the information stated by Bernstein. In the article, its stated that there are various different causes for the disorder, some being genes or physical characteristics. The hereditary aspect of the disease that allows it to be passed down through families shows that it is linked to genes which is why it is not uncommon to see multiple members of a family having it, but not all of them. Physical characteristics like the size of certain brain areas and the differences in connections in the brain, like the synaptic sites discussed in the previous article, differ in that of a person with schizophrenia and that of one without it (NIMH, 2022). The last main cause of the disease is the environmental factors which could include living in stressful or dangerous situations, or exposure to viruses and nutritional factors in the womb. A combination of these factors could lead to the development of the disease (NIMH, 2022).

Citation:

National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). 2022. Schizophrenia. [online] Available at:

<https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/schizophrenia> [Accessed 14 October 2022].

2.Bernstein, L. Researchers identify new genetic link to schizophrenia. The Washington

Post (2022). at <https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2022/04/06/schizophrenia-genetic-link/>