Study uses AI models to map 766 genes linked to schizophrenia

In short: Researchers used AI models to map a large network of genes linked to schizophrenia, identifying 766 associated genes.

What happened

A study published in Nature Genetics reported one of the most detailed genetic maps of schizophrenia so far. The research points to 766 genes associated with the disorder, including 641 genes that had not shown up in earlier studies that focused on gene activity.

Schizophrenia is hard to study genetically because it does not seem to come from one “bad gene.” Instead, it is linked to hundreds of small genetic differences, each nudging risk a little, often in different brain processes. To make sense of this, scientists used AI-based computer models, meaning software that looks for patterns in large amounts of data, to rebuild how thousands of genes may work together in the human brain.

The team used genetic data from more than 102,000 people. They also analyzed brain tissue samples from six brain regions from hundreds of donors. The work involved researchers from the Lieber Institute for Brain Development, the University of Bari, and psychiatric centers in multiple countries.

The study also highlighted “long-range” genetic control signals, which are like distant switches that can turn genes up or down. This helped support the idea that many schizophrenia-linked genes form an interconnected network, not isolated pieces. The researchers compared the new view to turning on the lights across a whole neighborhood, instead of seeing only a few lit houses.

Why it matters

The World Health Organization estimates schizophrenia affects about 23 million people worldwide. A clearer map of the genes and how they connect could help researchers focus on the most important biological pathways, which may guide future studies of treatments. It also reinforces a key point for families, genetics can raise risk, but it does not decide a person’s fate.

Source: Wired