Biomedical research conducted in the last decade has impressed upon society that mental illnesses such as schizophrenia, alcohol dependence and major depression can have genetic bases. Unfortunately, the public’s scientific knowledge has not necessarily translated into social acceptance.
“The landscape surrounding mental illness has changed a great deal over the last decade. Support for medical [...]

Tags: depression, mental illness, schizophrenia, social acceptance

Even as the genetic studies on schizophrenia released this week illustrate our progress toward the ultimate goal of personalized medicine, they also bring to mind the challenges that still lie ahead.
All three studies focus on identifying the genetic bases of schizophrenia, a mental disorder characterized by hallucinations, delusions and the decreased ability to plan and [...]

Tags: copy number variant, International Schizophrenic Consortium, schizophrenia, SNP

Genome-wide association studies, which are the source for most of the data 23andMe uses in Gene Journal entries, are based on the “common disease-common allele model” – the idea that many illnesses, even relatively rare ones, can be caused by combinations of genetic variations that are individually quite common in the population.
A study published online [...]

Tags: 23andMe, schizophrenia, Science, SNPs