Perhaps thousands of genetic variations contribute to schizophrenia, write authors of a new study about genetic architecture. Hope to find "the" gene or genes has given way to a more complicated picture. The Australian researchers of a recent article in Schizophrenia Bulletin say:
multiple genetic models of genetic architecture were consistent with observations but also showed that some simple models could be rejected. The advent of genome-wide association studies (GWAS) has allowed the identification of individual genetic risk loci or at least markers linked to them. This article explores if the new evidence provided from GWAS provides further clues to elucidate an understanding of the genetic architecture of schizophrenia.
Having a relative with schizophrenia is not an ironclad predictor, although people who do have relatives rank high on risk factors. "A very high proportion of schizophrenia case subjects will have no close relatives with the disorder," they write. Still the ability to predict genetic factors could be important criteria for early diagnosis and treatment. They say,
Despite ethical concerns, prediction of genetic risk may be an important tool for identifying schizophrenia in its prodromal phase that is the key to early intervention. Around the world, protocols have been developed for identification of patients at ultrahigh risk of developing psychosis that includes genetic risk through family history; but, as we have shown.
The authors outline how they determined what comprises genetic architecture as well as as well as models they assessed to guide their thinking.
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