The Lifesciences Magazine

  Scientists at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have identified two new genes associated with schizophrenia and discovered a third gene that increases the risk of both schizophrenia and autism. The study also found that the risk of schizophrenia conferred by these rare genes is consistent across ethnicities, which may have implications for developing new treatments for the disease. The study, which was published in the journal ‘Nature Genetics’ on March 13, analyzed existing data sets of 35,828 cases and 107,877 controls and compared the gene sequences of people with schizophrenia to those without the illness. Effects of Schizophrenia Schizophrenia is a severe mental illness that affects about 1 in 100 people and can result in individuals feeling as though they have lost touch with reality. The researchers’ work builds on a previous study that identified 10 genes linked to schizophrenia but only in individuals of European ancestry. This new research focused on individua...