Schizophrenia is not a single disease but a group of eight genetically distinct disorders, each with its own set of symptoms, scientists have found.
The finding could be a first step towards improved diagnosis and treatment of the debilitating psychiatric
illness, said researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis.
About 80% of the risk for schizophrenia is known to be inherited, but scientists have struggled to identify
specific genes for the condition.
Researchers in the study analysed genetic influences on more than 4,000 people with schizophrenia and
identified distinct gene clusters that contribute to eight different classes of schizophrenia. They looked at SNPs in 4,200 people with schizophrenia
and 3,800 healthy controls, learning how individual genetic variations interacted with each other to produce
the illness. Researchers divided patients according to the type and
severity of symptoms. The results indicated that those symptom profiles describe eight qualitatively distinct
disorders based on underlying genetic conditions
News source : Times of India
What is schizophrenia?
Schizophrenia is a mental
disorder often characterized by abnormal social behavior and failure
to recognize what is real .
Common symptoms include false beliefs ,unclear or confused
thinking, auditory hallucinations ,
reduced socialengagement and
emotional expression, and
inactivity .
