Summary: Researchers have found that schizophrenia shares genetic risk factors with bipolar disorder and major depression, with these vulnerabilities being more prominent in men than in women. The new study, which analyzed more than 3,000 individuals, found that polygenic scores for various mental disorders contributed differently to the risk of mental illness based on gender.
These results highlight the importance of considering sex differences when studying the genetic basis of mental disorders. The findings open new avenues for personalized approaches to the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of mental illness.
Key facts:
- Schizophrenia shares genetic risk factors with bipolar disorder and depression.
- The genetic risk of mental disorders is higher in men than in women.
- These findings can lead to more personalized psychotherapy.
Source: University of Barcelona
A group of researchers from the University of Barcelona and the Center for Biomedical Research in Mental Health Network (CIBERSAM) has published a pioneering study that reveals significant findings from the perspective of a separate gender analysis in the field of genetic mental illness.
First, this paper confirms the existence of shared genetic vulnerability between schizophrenia and other psychiatric disorders such as bipolar disorder and major depression.
In addition, and innovatively, research indicates that it is more important in schizophrenia in men than in women.
The study, published in the journal European Neuropsychopharmacologywas jointly led by Professors Barbara Arias and Arasli Rosa from the Faculty of Biology and the Institute of Biomedicine (IBUB) and CIBERSAM of the University of Barcelona (IBUB). The first authors of the study are Marina Mitjan (UB-IBUB-CIBERSAM) and Sergey Papiol, a member of CIBERSAM and also a researcher at the Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry in Munich (Germany).
In this study, the authors analyzed a sample from CIBERSAM that included 1826 patients with psychosis and 1372 control patients. The aim was to examine how polygenic scores (PGS) for schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and major depressive disorder contribute to the risk of developing psychiatric disorders and how these associations differ between men and women.
“Our results strengthen the hypothesis that there are common genetic factors that contribute to the risk of developing these disorders, suggesting the existence of a common biological basis between them”, says Marina Mitjans, first author of the study and a member of the UB. Department of Genetics, Microbiology and Statistics and Hospital Sant Joan de Barcelona (HSJD).
In addition, the results of this study indicate that there are differences between men and women in genetic vulnerability to mental disorders, which may explain the observed gender differences in clinical presentation and response to treatment. have important implications for
“Our study highlights the importance of considering sex differences in genetic studies in order to develop more personalized strategies in prevention, diagnosis and treatment in clinical practice”, says Barbara Arias, UB and Associate Professor of Evolutionary Biology , Member of the Department of Ecology and Environmental Sciences. – Principal investigator of CIBERSAM’s G08 group.
The study’s principal investigators agree that “this study is an example of the power of interdisciplinary collaboration between CIBERSAM groups to advance understanding of complex mental disorders”.
Genetic and mental health research news about it
Author: Rosa Martinez
Source: University of Barcelona
contact: Rosa Martinez – University of Barcelona
Image: Image credited to Neuroscience News
Original Research: Open access.
“Co-Vulnerability and Sex-Linked Polygenic Burden in Mental Disorders” by Barbara Arias et al. European Neuropsychopharmacology
release
Joint vulnerability and sex-linked polygenic burden in psychiatric disorders
Evidence suggests a significant shared genetic susceptibility among psychiatric disorders. However, gender-related differences have been less studied.
We investigated the contribution of schizophrenia (SCZ), bipolar disorder (BD) and major depressive disorder (MDD) polygenic scores (PGSs) to the risk of psychiatric disorders and whether there are gender-related differences (CIBERSAM sample: 1826 patients and 1372 controls).
All PGSs were significantly associated with psychopathy. Gender-level analyzes showed that the explained variance in the risk of mental disorders was significantly higher in men than in women for all PGSs.
Our results confirm a shared genetic makeup across psychiatric disorders and demonstrate sex-related differences in vulnerability to psychiatric disorders.
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