New Study Challenges Beliefs: Why Do Mental Illnesses Occur?
Researchers identify GRIN2A as a solitary gene capable of causing schizophrenia and mood disorders, challenging traditional views on mental illness.
An international team at Leipzig University in Germany discovered that a rare mutation in a single gene, GRIN2A, may directly cause mental disorders such as schizophrenia and mood disorders. The study, published in Molecular Psychiatry, challenges the traditional assumption that mental illnesses result from the interaction of dozens or hundreds of small genetic factors.
The researchers analyzed data from 121 individuals with GRIN2A mutations, finding that symptoms could appear early in childhood or adolescence, unlike most mental disorders that emerge in adulthood. Some mutations impaired the activity of the NMDA receptor in neurons, affecting brain signaling.
Preliminary experiments suggest that L-serine supplementation may enhance receptor function and reduce psychiatric symptoms, opening the door to precise, gene-targeted therapies instead of conventional treatments.
This breakthrough allows for early diagnosis in children and adolescents, enables development of targeted therapies, and fundamentally changes the understanding of complex causes behind mental disorders.
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