多种精神疾病存在共同的遗传特征

Summary: Researchers analyzed postmortem dorsolateral prefrontal cortex brain samples and found shared biological mechanisms in major psychiatric disorders. They focused on exon level. Gene activity differences were only obvious at this level. Disruptions in stress hormone, dopamine, and circadian rhythms are common in multiple disorders like schizophrenia.

Key Facts:

• Exon - Level Insights: Psychiatric patients differed from healthy ones only at exon level.
• Shared Pathways: Circadian, cortisol, and dopamine pathways were commonly disrupted.
• Toward Precision Psychiatry: Findings support classifying by biological mechanisms.

Source: Max Planck Society. Researchers from multiple places identified shared biological mechanisms in psychiatric disorders by analyzing relevant brain samples. The dorsolateral prefrontal cortex is important for reasoning and emotions and is often related to psychiatric disorders. The study included samples from affected (mostly schizophrenia patients) and healthy people.

What's special: The team combined different genetic data. They analyzed the exon level. Exons are important gene segments. Samples differed at exon but not gene level. The team integrated various genetic data. These results show a common biological basis for psychiatric disorders, which can help with classification based on biological mechanisms.

Author: Anke Schlee. Source: Max Planck Society. Contact: Anke Schlee. Image: Credited to Neuroscience News. Through certain analyses, 110 core genes were identified, enriched in pathways like circadian, cortisol, and dopaminergic synapse. Single - nuclei RNA sequencing data linked molecular changes to excitatory neurons. This approach moves toward molecular classification and identifying therapeutic targets.