Risk factor linked to schizophrenia identified by NUI Galway scientist

A rare risk factor which is associated with mental illnesses like schizophrenia has been identified by a joint research team led by an NUI Galway (NUIG) scientist.

The research team has found that changes in a little-known gene called ULK4 were observed in individuals with schizophrenia.

The findings are published today in the Journal of Cell Science.

Prof Sanbing Shen of NUIG's Regenerative Medicine Institute, who led the research, says that this could contribute to more effective treatment of the condition in time.

The multi-institutional study examined a database of up to 7,000 people, half of whom had schizophrenia and half of whom did not.

Many genetic risk factors have been associated with schizophrenia and other mental illnesses such as bipolar disorder and depression, but Prof Shen and his team were able to characterise how the ULK4 gene functions in the brain.

He and his colleagues found that when levels of ULK4 were decreased, through mutation or deletion, the neuronal (brain) cells tend to function less well.

This leads to reduced synaptic function and other changes that are also known as risk factors of schizophrenia.

Prof Shen said ULK4 is essential for the formation of the nerve fibres which connect the two sides of the brain.

"It mainly interferes with brain development, but is it also a very important gene in that it has been identified as a risk factor for tumours, multiple myeloma, heart disease and high blood pressure," he told The Irish Times.

“When both copies of this gene are removed, it can cause fatal effects such as hydrocephalus, and when one copy is removed it can cause mental illness,” Prof Shen said.

The findings were supported by genetic data provided by the International Schizophrenia Consortium.

They were confirmed by using new data generated from other illness groups, including autism, major depression and bipolar disorder.

Prof Shen said he hoped more research would lead to a better understanding of the condition, and how drugs may be developed to target ULK4 for the treatment of mental illness.

The research was funded by Science Foundation Ireland, NUIG, the Cunningham Trust, Scottish Universities Life Sciences Alliance, Medical Research Scotland and the University of Aberdeen.

Full report can be downloaded at http://iti.ms/1ffkQRO