Scientists have long linked mental illnesses with mutations in multiple genes, combined with environmental and developmental factors. But a new study suggests mutation in a gene known as GRIN2A may be tied to psychiatric symptoms like early-onset schizophrenia.
“Our current findings indicate that GRIN2A is the first known gene that, on its own, can cause a mental illness”, says Johannes Lemke, lead author of the study and Director of the Institute of Human Genetics at the University of Leipzig Medical Center. The GRIN2A gene is responsible for producing the GluN2A protein, which enables communication between neurons. The protein is also necessary for processes like learning, memory, brain development and language.
The study included data collected from 121 individuals with GRIN2A- disorders. Among them, 84 carried the ‘null’ variant of GRIN2A, and 37 had the ‘missense’ mutation. The other 25 individuals were diagnosed with mental disorders and likely were affected by a combination of these two mutations.
It was also noted that 23 of the 84 GRIN2A null variant carriers had mental disorders – 13 had mood disorders, 12 anxiety disorders and 8 psychotic disorders, 3 personality disorders and one had an eating disorder. As for the missense mutation of the GRIN2A gene, only two out of the 37 had a mental disorder. This means that those with null variants are at six times more risk compared to those with missense mutations.
“Our current findings indicate that GRIN2A is the first known gene that, on its own, can cause a mental illness. This distinguishes it from the polygenic causes of such disorders that have been assumed to date,” says Lemke. For a long time, the general consensus was that mental disorders arise from a combination of factors, including genetic ones. However, the study shows that mutation in a single can determine how fast a mental disorder develops.
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