Schizophrenia, bipolar disorder may be genetic

WASHINGTON: Scientists have found that some psychiatric disorders like schizophrenia, bipolar disorder may be genetic, whereas neurological disorders like Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s, appeared more distinct.

“This work is starting to re-shape how we think about disorders of the brain. If we can uncover the genetic influences and patterns of overlap between different disorders, then we might be able to better understand the root causes of these conditions, and potentially identify specific mechanisms appropriate for tailored treatments,” said lead co-senior author, Ben Neale from Stanley Centre at Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard in Massachusetts.

In the study published in the journal Science, the team measured the amount of genetic overlap across the disorders using genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of 265,218 patients and 784,643 controls.

They also examined the relationships between brain disorders and 17 physical or cognitive measures, such as years of education, from 1,191,588 individuals.