A groundbreaking study has revealed that eight major psychiatric disorders may share a common genetic basis. Led by a research team in the US, the study identified specific genetic variants active during brain development that appear across multiple mental health conditions. These variants continue to influence brain growth over extended periods.
The study, led by Hyejung Won, PhD, from the Department of Genetics and the UNC Neuroscience Centre, and Patrick Sullivan, MD, FRANZCP, the Yeargen Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry and Genetics, successfully categorized the functional consequences of these genetic variants into two groups. Published in Cell, the findings suggest that pleiotropic variants—those influencing multiple disorders—could be promising targets for treatment due to their extended role in brain development and responsiveness to change.
“Pleiotropy was once seen as a challenge, complicating psychiatric disorder classification,” said Won. “But by understanding its genetic roots, we may develop treatments that target these shared genetic factors, potentially helping multiple disorders with a single therapy.”
The human genome, which contains the genetic instructions for our development, is unique to each person. Certain regions are more susceptible to genetic variations, which can affect biological processes like protein production and synapse formation, contributing to psychiatric conditions. Thankfully, researchers now have the tools to track these variants and gain deeper insights into the origins of these diseases.
This discovery could pave the way for new treatment strategies, potentially revolutionizing psychiatric care by targeting multiple disorders at once.
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