Psychiatric disorders often share common genetic bases. Researchers have identified 136 variations in the genome associated with eight major disorders, opening new tracks to treat them simultaneously.
- Psychiatric disorders often share common genetic bases, which complicates their diagnosis. A study analyzed 136 genome zones associated with eight major disorders (depression, schizophrenia, autism …) and identified 683 genetic variants having an impact on gene regulation.
- Among them, pleaotropic variants, active in several psychiatric disorders, play a key role in brain development and offer promising targets for therapies.
- Understanding these mechanisms could make it possible to deal with several disorders simultaneously, paving the way for major advances in psychiatry.
It often happens that distinct psychiatric disorders have common symptoms, which makes their diagnosis particularly complex. For example, why depression and anxiety, or even autism and ADHD (deficit disorder with attention with or without hyperactivity) coexist so often? According to a new study published in the journal Cellthe answer to this question, or at least a part, would reside in our genetic heritage.
Genetic “hot spots” linked to psychiatric disorders
Researchers at the University of North Carolina (United States) relied on a 2019 study which had identified 136 “hot spots” (hot spots) in the genome associated with eight major psychiatric disorders, such as schizophrenia, depression or even obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). Among them, 109 were divided by several disorders: a phenomenon called pleaotropy, where a genetic variation influences several conditions. But the way in which these variations specifically affect a disorder or more was so bad.
The new study sheds new light by exploring the functional consequences of these genetic variations. Thanks to advanced technology, the researchers studied the impact of some 17,000 genetic variations from 136 hot spots, inserting them into human neural cells. They thus identified 683 variations having a measurable effect on the regulation of genes, a crucial process which determines the production of the proteins necessary for the functioning of the brain.
Better treat psychiatric multi-canopies
These variations have been divided into two categories: pleaotropic variants (common to several disorders) and variants specific to a single disorder. The former proved to be more active and sensitive to changes than the latter. This suggests that pleaotropic variations play, in relation to others, an prolonged role in brain development, thus potentially contributing to various disorders.
The genes affected by these pleaotropic variants are closely connected to other proteins, which means that any disturbance can cause cascade effects in the brain. “If we manage to understand the genetic basis of pleaotropia, this could make it possible to develop new treatments targeting these shared genetic factors”estimate the authors of the study in a press release. Rather than targeting an isolated disorder, it would be possible to develop therapies based on these common variations, offering a solution for several disorders simultaneously.
