Abstract:
Psychiatric illnesses are disorders that affect millions worldwide.
Evidence from quantitative and molecular genetics analysis suggests a strong
genetic component to these disorders. There is also evidence that embryonic
neurodevelopment is a key period in the progression schizophrenia. The aim of
the present study was to use post-mortem human hippocampus from subjects
of a variety of psychiatric phenotypes to investigate neurodevelopmentally-
relevant gene expression in this region of the adult human brain. Particular
interest is paid to schizophrenia risk gene DISC1; it has been shown to exhibit
linkage and association to schizophrenia and is highly involved in embryonic
and post natal neurodevelopmental processes. The results reported in this
study indicate that DISC1 binding partners, and genes used to mark
neurogenesis, can be found aberrantly expressed in schizophrenia and bipolar
disorder, relative to controls. The results also suggest that DISC1 genotype may
predict expression patterns of DISC1 binding partners and neurogenesis
markers, irrespective of diagnosis. This may provide clues to the timing and
nature of abnormal brain development in this illness and aid in development of
treatment strategies.
