Genetic aspects in schizophrenia


Abstract Title: Genetic aspects in schizophrenia
Authors: Mariş Mariana Adelina
Affiliation: Clinic Emergecy County Hospital Arad, Romania
“Vasile Goldis” Western University Arad, Romania
Abstract text: Schizophrenia affects all the human races, it’s prevalence being in general population between 0.2-1.7%, but among the patient relatives it’s between 3.5-6 %. Schizophrenia is a multifactorial disease; the current studies analyze a lot of possible involved factors: genetics, anatomic, neurofunctional circuits, electrophysiological, neurochemicals factors, immunological factors, neuropharmacological factors, endocrinological factors, developmental neuronal factors, socio-family factors and individual developmental factors. The specific cause is unknown, although schizophrenia has a biologic basis, as evidenced by alterations in brain structure (enlarged cerebral ventricles, decreased size of the anterior hippocampus) and by changes in neurotransmitters, especially altered activity of dopamine. Although most people with schizophrenia do not have a family history, genetic factors have been implicated. A large number of susceptible genes to be candidates in schizophrenia etiology have been identified to be encoders proteins involved in the arrangement of plasticity synapses, neurotransmission, neuronal migration, cell adhesion and transmitting signals. The detailed studies of the genome regions linked have identified some supposed candidate genes: NRG1 (neuregulin1), dysbindin, DISC1, COMT (catechol-O-methyl transferase), G72/G30, BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor), RGS4 (regulator of G protein signaling 4). The most studies of association have focused on the analyzing the genes involved in dopaminergic or serotoninergic neurotransmission. Lately, them were investigated the disorders of these systems of neurotransmission in pathogenesis of schizophrenia because they are targets for the action of the antipsychotic drugs.
Keywords: schizophrenia, genes, genetics, neurotransmitters
Presentation type: Oral
Correspondence: no. 1 Feleacului St., Arad, Romania
Email: sorela2002@yahoo.com