Schizophrenia linked to genes
From Times wire reports
Scientists have identified genetic mutations that may predispose people to schizophrenia, a brain disorder with symptoms including delusions.
The genes normally affect a signaling system in the brain involving a protein called calcineurin, which plays a role in memory and higher brain functions. “The proteins these genes produce provide us with targets for developing new drugs,” said Jeffrey Lieberman, the chairman of psychiatry at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. The findings were reported last week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
