Study Identifies Gene Linked to Schizophrenia and Other Mental Illnesses

New Delhi — German scientists have discovered a gene that can directly cause schizophrenia and other mental disorders.

Until now, conditions like schizophrenia, anxiety, and depression were believed to develop due to a combination of many factors, including several genes. But new research published in Molecular Psychiatry has identified the GRIN2A gene as a major single factor.

The study shows that changes in GRIN2A can directly lead to schizophrenia.

“Our findings show that GRIN2A is the first known gene that, by itself, can cause a mental illness,” said lead author Professor Johannes Lemke, Director of the Institute of Human Genetics at the University of Leipzig Medical Centre. “This is different from the previously assumed polygenic causes.”

Researchers analysed data from 121 people who had a genetic alteration in GRIN2A. They found that certain variants of this gene are linked not only to schizophrenia but also to other mental disorders.

Importantly, these conditions appear in childhood or adolescence for people with GRIN2A changes, unlike the usual onset in adulthood.

Some patients had only psychiatric symptoms, even though GRIN2A mutations are usually associated with epilepsy or intellectual disability.

GRIN2A plays a key role in regulating the electrical activity of nerve cells. The study found that specific variants reduce the activity of the NMDA receptor — an important molecule in brain communication.

In an early treatment trial, patients showed significant improvement in psychiatric symptoms when treated with L-serine, a dietary supplement that activates the NMDA receptor.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), nearly one in seven people worldwide had a mental illness in 2021, with anxiety and depression being the most common.

Mental disorders usually have complex causes, many of which are genetic. This new research may help enable earlier diagnosis and more targeted treatment in the future.

With inputs from IANS