New finding brings scientists one step closer to discovering the cause of schizophrenia

For the first time, scientists have pinned down a molecular process in the brain that helps to trigger schizophrenia.

New finding brings scientists one step closer to discovering the cause of schizophrenia R0_37_625_389_w800_h450_fmax

New finding brings scientists one step closer to discovering the cause of schizophrenia R0_37_625_389_w800_h450_fmax

In a study, published in the international journal Nature, researchers found a huge spike in a single gene, C4, which is needed to prune away excess brain cell connections, dramatically increased a person's risk of developing schizophrenia.

Like pruning back the tangled branches of a hedge, synaptic pruning is part of the brain's natural development. The process helps thin out excess grey matter in a child's brain to make room for more complex connections needed as an adult.

But in patients with schizophrenia with a spike in C4, this pruning switches into overdrive, shearing through too many synapses and causing an abnormal loss of brain matter, researchers found after analysing data from over 29,000 schizophrenia patients from 22 countries.

The US study has been hailed as a watershed towards understanding the causes of schizophrenia, which affects more than 280,000 Australians, and offering potential for early detection and treatment unthinkable just a year ago.

http://www.theoptimist.com.au/story/3695736/new-finding-brings-scientists-one-step-closer-to-discovering-the-cause-of-schizophrenia/?cs=4845

New finding brings scientists one step closer to discovering the cause of schizophrenia

New finding brings scientists one step closer to discovering the cause of schizophrenia

Anarcho-Capitalist Categorical Imperatives

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