de novo mutational paradigm for schizophrenia

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These findings parallel similar findings of de novo mutations in autism.

*/

/**/Exome sequencing supports a de novo mutational paradigm for

schizophrenia/*

* Bin Xu et al

Nature Genetics

Published online 07 August 2011

http://www.nature.com/ng/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/ng.902.html

*/Schizophrenia: genes matter (even though inheritance might not)/*

By Timmer | Published August 8, 2011 3:15 PM

http://arstechnica.com/science/news/2011/08/genetics-is-key-schizophrenia-even-w\

hen-inheritance-isnt.ars

....These results suggest that schizophrenia is generally caused by

mutations, even in cases where the mutations haven't been inherited.

This still leaves significant space for environmental influences,

though; these could influence the occurrence of the disease by altering

the mutation rate, for example. Schizophrenia is a complex disease, and

environmental factors may also alter the timing of its onset and its

progression afterwards.

The results clearly have significance beyond schizophrenia. Many other

disorders, including ALS and dyslexia, show the same sort of pattern: a

mix of inherited and sporadic cases. Autism and schizophrenia, by

showing that mutations may underlie both types of case, may provide a

model that helps us understand a wide variety of disorders.