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Schizophrenia typically shows up in young adults. For men it tends to emerge around 20 to 28 years and peak onset for women is between 26 to 32 years. But what triggers the disease during this time?
Well past studies have shown that mutations in a gene called DISC1 are linked to schizophrenia. DISC1 enables a guide to new nerve cells—sort of like a traffic cop—sending them to the right place to make the right connections to other cells.
But recently, researchers partially shut off DISC1 in lab mice to see what happens when there is no traffic cop. And what they saw is a steady decrease in the size and number of dendritic spines, the tiny branches of the nerve cell that receive messages from nearby cells. Their results are published in the March issue of Nature Neuroscience.
Connections between cells are constantly broken and forged throughout our lives but there’s an amazingly large amount of so-called “pruning” during adolescence. So if this breaking of connections goes awry, as it does when DISC1 is shut off, then one might be at high risk for schizophrenia.
And so while the defective gene may be there at birth, its effect does not show up until many years into one’s life, post adolescence in young adulthood.
—Christie Nicholson
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14 Comments
Add CommentI have known since childhood someone who was diagnosed as a Schizophrenic. It seems to me that his illness is greatly related to his life experiences, his lack of social abilities and his life crisis. Maybe he had some susceptibility genes, but I saw that at some points in his life he couldn't cope with social pressure, couldn't sleep for long periods of time and as a consequence had psychotic episodes. Severe and prolonged social stress compounded with sleep deprivation could wreak havoc anyone's mind. To think only in terms of genes is to be blind to the importance of social links for the human species.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI know two people diagnosed with Schizophrenia. My brother
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisis the first one. He never was hallucinogenic untill he went
to Togas Veterans Hospital in Maine. He was a Vietnam Vet,
he was in the CIA of the Army. When he came home he was
so depressed he tried to take his life. He was sent to Togas
where they started drugging him. I went to visit him one day
he was hearing voices and seeing things. I asked my brother
what was the matter? He said a Dr. Steciever, gave him a pill
he said it would make him feel happy. My brother calls him Dr. Deciever because he became hallucinogenic soon after taking this pill. There were other patients on the ward with
similar actions some had tarddive dyskinesia. My friends
husband was admitted to Togas and was diagnosed with degenerative arthritis and was told he could never work again. He became so depressed he was put in my brother's
ward. Soon after he became a hallucinogenic his wife removed
him because I had told her what happened to my brother. He
developed tardive dyskinesias from the drugs they gave him
after he got home. He was taken off the drug that made him
hallucinogenic.
My friends son Michael was diagnosed schizophenic after he got into some bad cocaine. He hears voices, sees things and he
talks to those voices. My friend and I were in nursing together
we believe that it was the cocaine that caused it. Because he
was a normal, intelligent young man before he was treated for
a cocaine over dose.
I agree with you. I believe social stress, abuse in childhood
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thiscauses many to have psychotic breaks.
I work with the elderly and disabled. Some of my younger
resident who have emotional disabilities were severly abused and neglected as children. Society was not there to intervene
as a consequence they are paying to support them for the rest
of their lives. Not unless I can convince them they are more
than their disability there is a good life out there for them.
hi eva3anne4, you say, "I believe social stress, abuse in childhood causes many to have psychotic breaks." many, but not all. why the difference? how can some people shrug off adversity whilst the same circumstances result in other people experiencing psychosis? genes may be one possibilty.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisNot very good. Just as we don't want the NY Times to regurgitate government talking points, we don't need you to regurgitate arguments from this lab, admittedly a well respected one. We expect reduced numbers of dendritic spines in schizophrenic cortex- Ayhan & colleagues found increased spine density in their study.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisDISC1 is known to regulate the function and expression of many genes involved in synaptic formation & function. However that is true of many other genes as well. All of them have different effects if the mutation is activated in postnatal life from prenatal deficiency. This work merely confirms that DISC1 has complex effects; we know that synaptic connectivity seems awry in pts with schizophrenia, but schizophrenia is very heterogeneous- not at all likely that all patients have the same pathogenesis. The article does NOT explain in any way why schizophrenic symptoms explode in adolescence or early adult life. You can do better. Be more critical.
Not very good. Just as we don't want the NY Times to regurgitate government talking points, we don't need regurgitated arguments from this lab, admittedly a well respected one. We expect reduced numbers of dendritic spines in schizophrenic cortex- Ayhan & colleagues found increased spine density in their study.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisDISC1 is known to regulate the function and expression of many genes involved in synaptic formation & function. However that is true of many other genes as well. All of them have different effects depending upon the time that the mutation is activated. This work merely confirms that DISC1 has complex effects; we know that synaptic connectivity seems awry in pts with schizophrenia. The article does NOT explain in any way why schizophrenic symptoms explode in adolescence or early adult life. It tells us that effects of disrupting this regulatory gene depend on when it is interrupted, no more. Schizophrenia is very heterogeneous- not at all likely that all patients have the same pathogenesis. You can do better. Be more critical.
If what you thought were true, Schizophrenia would not run in families. It's a known fact that it does run in families. I am very sorry...but it's the truth...look it up more carefully. There are other problems caused by drugs. The reason things most times get worst is because damaged cells...reproduce damaged. Do the math. Same reason we age, cells damaged can't fix themselves, like wrinkles...
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisSchizophrenia is a catch all diagnosis. It essentially means that the patient has some or all of the following symptoms. Paranoia, visual or auditory hallucinations, issues communicating with others, tend to isolate themselves, inability to sleep, can be suicidal. They can be violent, but usually not. It will be a while before we work out all of the factors for this disease(s). Some drugs seem to help with the symptoms displayed, but they all have side affects. The aricle describes some research that may fill in a bit more of this puzzle, but we are far from understanding Schizophrenia.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisOne of my brothers has it. He abused drugs including LSD starting when he was about 14. The young developing brain at that age just can't take such chemical abuse. And that was around 1970 when the acid on the streets was a lot stronger.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThe hearing voices, many of people he either had met or was somehow obsessed indicates to me at least that some connection to their imagination is hard-wired to their senses. I wonder if that connection could be artfully broken. They will separate the left and right hemispheres of the brains of some epileptics; i wonder if that would benefit a schizoid.
I've been interested in similarities between manic-depression and schizophrenia. I know both involve delusions, maybe hallucinations, possible substance abuse as palliative, cognitive impairment, trouble keeping personal relationships, and thoughts of suicide.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisSo I see that a breakthrough in one overlaps to the other. Any advice or suggestions, or just want to read of my circuitous path to my ripe old age, email.
Bill
DISC1 is an interesting gene to study. Here is a partial list of synaptic genes that are also "disrupted in schizophrenia": GOLGA1, SLC35A3, COG6, TRIP11, AP1G1, ARFGEF2, USO1, ROCK1, RAB9B, STX10, ARFRP1, SYT1, SV2A, NCDN, GOLM1, GPSN2, EEA1, VPS35, SNX17, AAK1, GABRA1, CACNG2, ZACN. The theory that abberant NMDA/glutamate signaling occurs often in schizophrenia arose out of the observation that there are some similarities between florid schizophrenia symptoms and phencyclohexylpiperidine (PCP-Angel Dust - "T") intoxication. Theories come and go. A more challenging theory is that when the human species began, genes controlling brain asymmetry that gave blessings of language, creativity and mathematical insight had a downside for a very unfortunate few.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI agree with the posters who note that does this one study of one gene ``explain`` a complex disease like schizophrenia.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisBut also, I fear the presence of this piece in your package related to the Arizona shootings implies SI has already decided that Jared Loughner suffers from schizophrenia. Since he currently doesn`t have a diagnosi,the editors of SI are not psychiatrists, and he is not your patient, I think it is a stretch and not 100 percent responsible journalistically to make this inference.
Sorry for the typos. This should have read:
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI agree with the posters who note that this one study of one gene probably cannot yet ``explain`` a complex disease like schizophrenia.
But also, I fear the presence of this piece in your package related to the Arizona shootings implies SI has already decided that Jared Loughner suffers from schizophrenia. Since he currently doesn`t have a diagnosis,since the editors of SI are not psychiatrists, and since he is not your patient, I think it is a stretch and not 100 percent responsible journalistically to make the inference that he does in fact suffer from this ailment.
Mental Illness is not a Death Sentence. This 22 year old schizophrenic rapper is gonna make it! Check him out! www.savingpat.org
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