New Genetic Risk Factor Discovered for Severe Psychiatric Illness

New Genetic Risk Factor Discovered for Severe Psychiatric Illness

Nov. 19, 2013 — Investigators at The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research have discovered a new genetic risk factor for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder called NDST3. The findings are published online in Nature Communications.


Dr. Lencz's team reported that the genetic variant, which changes a single "letter" of the DNA code, alters the expression of the gene NDST3. This gene is critical to neurodevelopmental processes such as axon formation and synaptic function. These findings shed new light on the genetic architecture and potential therapeutic targets for the treatment of psychiatric disease.

Schizophrenia and bipolar disorder are severe psychiatric disorders that affect 1-4 percent of the global population. Studies have shown that the two disorders are likely to have a large overlap in genetic risk factors, but only a small portion of this genetic risk has been identified.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/11/131119112815.htm