Neurons in the central nervous system communicate with each other chemically through neural synapses. Neurons receive excitatory input from glutamatergic neurons and inhibitory input from GABA-releasing (GABAergic) interneurons. Some hypotheses about Autism are predicated on the possibility that there is an imbalance between the excitatory and inhibitory neural activity, perhaps especially in the so-called mirror neurons. Reporting in Nature, Yingxi Lin and fellow scientistics working in Michael Greenberg’s group at Harvard University have discovered a gene—Npas4—that may regulate the balance between excessive and insufficient excitation of synapses.
Continue reading ‘Possible balancer of neural excitation-inhibition?’
Archive for the 'Schizophrenia' Category
I guess one can read geneses as a typographical variant on genes or, as I intended, as the plural of genesis. Using it the latter way: Emerging evidence makes it appear even more unlikely than ever that researchers will be able to identify a relative few genes—let alone the or one gene—for schizophrenia. Writing under the headline “Gene-Hunters Find Hope and Hurdles in Schizophrenia Studies,” the noted science journalist Nicholas Wade published an article summarizing research that points to the conclusion that there may be many different genetic bases for schizophrenia.
Two groups of researchers hunting for schizophrenia genes on a larger scale than ever before have found new genetic variants that point toward a different understanding of the disease.
Skip to next paragraphThe variants discovered by the two groups, one led by Dr. Kari Stefansson of Decode Genetics in Iceland and the other by Dr. Pamela Sklar of the Massachusetts General Hospital, are all rare. They substantially increase the risk of schizophrenia in those affected but account for a tiny fraction of the total number of cases.
This finding, coupled with the general lack of success so far in finding common variants for schizophrenia, raises the possibility that the genetic component of the disease is due to a very large number of variants, each of which is very rare, rather than to a handful of common variants.
This is an article well worth reading. Link to Mr. Wade’s arctile.
Sphere: Related ContentThe University of Pennsylvania Collaborative on Community Integration has published its latest newsletter. To view this newsletter in fully formated form, click here. You can also find this issue and previous ones in the newsletter archive on the UPenn Collaborative Web site.
Continue reading ‘UPenn newsletter June 08′
Sphere: Related ContentA multi-institution research team has discovered that rare mutations, which probably affect development in the human nervous system, may significantly increase the risk of schizophrenia. The researchers found that adults with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder and youth with childhood onset schizophrenia (COS) were 3 to 4 times more likely to have rare structural variants that deleted or duplicated one or a few genes. They say that the disrupted genes are “over-represented in pathways important for brain development.
Under the heading “Rare Mutations Hint at Multiple Schizophrenias,” Constance Holden of ScienceNOW Daily News described the finding in this way:
Continue reading ‘Rare mutations may link to EBD’
The paper mail included a copy of Focal Point, the periodical from the Research and Training Center (RTC) on Family Support and Children’s Mental Health at Portland (OR, US) State University. As usual, it includes many worthwhile articles. It reminded me that I should reminder readers of EBD Blog about the RTC.
Continue reading ‘PDX RTC’
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