Beijing: Chinese scientists at the Anhui Medical University have reportedly pinpointed a specific gene that increases susceptibility to schizophrenia.
Researchers analysed the genes of around 12,000 people with schizophrenia and healthy individuals from two separate cohorts to discover `Tspan-18`, a gene located in the eleventh chromosome that increases susceptibility to the mental illness.
The Chinese researchers have also validated another schizophrenia-susceptible gene discovered by their foreign counterparts, which is located in the sixth chromosome, state-
run Xinhua news agency reported today.
Schizophrenia is characterised by disintegration of thought processes and of emotional responsiveness. Scientists around the globe are trying to discover the cause of and
permanent treatment for the mental disorder through genetic analysis.
The research was jointly conducted by scientists from Anhui Medical University, the first hospital affiliated with the university, the National Human Genome Centre and Peking
University.
The scientists` findings were published in an online edition of the scientific journal Nature Genetics.
PTI
