Men Show Higher Genetic Risk for Schizophrenia and Related Disorders – Neuroscience News

Summary: The researchers found that schizophrenia shares genetic risk factors with bipolar disorder and major depression, and this vulnerability is more important in men than in women. The new study examined more than 3,000 people, finding that polygenic factors for different mental illnesses contribute differently to the risk of psychosis depending on gender.

These results highlight the importance of considering sex differences when studying the genetics of mental disorders. The findings open new avenues for individualized approaches to the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of psychiatric conditions.

Important Points:

• Schizophrenia shares genetic risk factors with bipolar disorder and depression.
• Genetic susceptibility to mental illness is greater in men than in women.
• These findings can lead to personalized psychotherapy.

Source: University of Barcelona

A team of researchers from the University of Barcelona and the Center for Genetic Research in Mental Health Network (CIBERSAM) has published a pioneering study that reveals important findings in the field of genetic psychology from the perspective of gender differential analysis .

First, the paper confirms the existence of a shared genetic vulnerability between schizophrenia and other mental illnesses such as bipolar disorder and major depression.

Furthermore, and in a new way, the study highlights that this is more important in men than in women with schizophrenia.

This study, published in the journal European Neuropsychopharmacologyit was led by professors Bárbara Arias and Araceli Rosa, from the Faculty of Biology and the Institute of Biomedicine of the University of Barcelona (IBUB), and CIBERSAM. The first authors of the study are Marina Mitjans (UB-IBUB-CIBERSAM) and Sergi Papiol, also a CIBERSAM member and researcher at the Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry in Munich (Germany).

In this study, the authors analyzed the CIBERSAM sample which included 1826 patients with psychosis and 1372 control patients. The aim was to examine how polygenic scores (PGS) for schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and major depressive disorder contribute to the risk of developing psychiatric disorders, and whether these associations how does it differ between men and women.

“Our results support the idea that there are common genetic factors that contribute to the risk of developing these disorders, suggesting the existence of a shared biological basis between them,” says Marina Mitjans, first author of the study and a member of UB’s. Department of Genetics, Microbiology and Statistics and Hospital Sant Joan de Déu de Barcelona (HSJD).

In addition, the results of this study show that there is a difference between men and women in the genetic risk of mental illnesses, which may have important consequences for understanding the observed sex differences in prevalence, drug production and response to treatment.

“Our study highlights the importance of considering sex differences in genetic studies to create individual strategies to prevent, diagnose and treat in clinical practice,” says Bárbara Arias, member of the Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences of UB and co. – principal investigator of the G08 group of CIBERSAM.

The main researchers of the study agree that “this study is an example of the power of collaboration between CIBERSAM groups to advance the understanding of complex mental disorders”.

About this research issues genetics and mental health

Author: Rosa Martinez
Source: University of Barcelona
Contact: Rosa Martínez – University of Barcelona
Image: Image submitted to Neuroscience News

Basic research: Open access.
“Shared risk and sex-dependent polygenic burden in mental disorders” by Bárbara Arias et al. European Neuropsychopharmacology

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Summary

Shared vulnerability and sex-dependent polygenic burden in psychiatric disorders

Evidence suggests a remarkable genetic susceptibility to psychiatric disorders. However, gender-based differences have been less studied.

We examined the contribution of schizophrenia (SCZ), bipolar disorder (BD) and major depressive disorder (MDD) polygenic scores (PGSs) to the risk of psychiatric disorders and whether sex-dependent differences exist. (CIBERSAM sample: 1826 patients and 1372 controls) .

All PGS were significantly associated with psychosis. Analyzes by sex showed that the difference explained in the risk of mental illness was significantly higher in men than in women for all PGSs.

Our results confirm genetic dissociation across psychiatric disorders and demonstrate sex-dependent differences in susceptibility to psychiatric disorders.