A new study has found a genetic variant that is associated with multiple psychiatric disorders and may increase an individual's risk of developing bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. The work comes from the Institut Mondor de Recherches Biomédicales, Psychiatrie Translationnelle and can be found in JNeurosci.
After examing samples from adults with schizophrenia, early-onset bipolar disorder, and postmortem brain tissue from schizophrenia patients, Stéphane Jamain, Ph.D., and colleagues found a variant of a gene involved in neurotransmission is associated with both disorders. Using genetic analysis and neuroimaging, they found that the genetic variation changes the expression of the SNAP25 protein in the brain. This protein is involved in processing between brain regions involved in regulating emotions. The variant was also associated with a larger amygdala volume and altered prefrontal-limbic connectivity.
The researchers tried replicating their findings in independent samples and confirmed a shared genetic component of these disorders. In addition, the research also points to a potentially new condition that may arise in patients with varying diagnoses in which this gene is implicated, such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.
Image: A genetic variant implicated in bipolar disorder and schizophrenia is associated with larger amygdala volume and altered prefrontal-limbic connectivity. Image courtesy of Stéphane Jamain (data from diffusion-imaging.com).