The Medical Freedom Channel

“Researchers in Boston and around the world have pinpointed three genetic hot spots where deletions of big chunks of DNA appear to multiply a child’s chances of developing schizophrenia up to tenfold. The discoveries, reported online in the journal Nature yesterday, stem from a mammoth effort to scan the genomes of more than 3,000 schizophrenia patients, the most extensive search for abnormalities published to date. Scientists said the work represents a significant step toward revealing the genetic roots of a devastating disease that has long stymied them. ‘These papers represent the first rock-solid foundation knowledge of what can cause schizophrenia,’ said Michael O’Donovan, a professor at Cardiff University in Wales and lead author of a related paper in the journal Nature Genetics.” (07/31/08)