NIH Radio
How Schizophrenia Develops: Major Clues Discovered
Brief Description:
In a study of human brain tissue, funded by the National Institute of Mental Health and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, scientists have revealed that schizophrenia may occur, in part, because of a problem in an intermittent on-and-off switch for a gene involved in making a key chemical messenger in the brain.
Transcript:
Schmalfeldt: In a study of human brain tissue, funded by the National Institute of Mental Health and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, scientists have revealed that schizophrenia may occur, in part, because of a problem in an intermittent on-and-off switch for a gene involved in making a key chemical messenger in the brain. The researchers discovered that the gene, known as GAD1, is turned on at increasingly high rates during normal development of the prefrontal cortex—that's the part of the brain responsible for higher functions like thinking and decision-making. However, this normal increase may not be happening in people with schizophrenia. When the GAD1 gene is turned on, it produces an enzyme that helps regulate the flow of electrical traffic that enables brain cells to communicate with each other. The more this gene is turned on, the more of this enzyme it can produce. Abnormalities in the production of this enzyme are known to play a role in the development of schizophrenia. Identifying the mechanisms involved in schizophrenia may lead to potential new targets for medication. The results of the study were published in the October 17 issue of the Journal of Neuroscience. From the National Institutes of Health, I'm Bill Schmalfeldt in Bethesda, Maryland.
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