Mental Knots – A Proteins Role in Schizophrenia

Two studies shed light on structural changes in the protein DISC1 and point to a novel therapeutic approach

27-Jun-2025 - Researchers at Forschungszentrum Jülich in Germany have published two new studies offering fresh insight into a protein believed to play a pivotal role in the development of chronic mental health conditions such as schizophrenia. The protein, known as DISC1, short for Disrupted in Schizophrenia 1 ...

A risk gene for bipolar disorder

Mice with a genetic mutation, which can also occur in humans, behave manically

04-Sep-2024 - The risk gene adenylyl cyclase 2 is associated with bipolar disorder, as has been repeatedly confirmed in genome-wide association studies. However, until now there has not been any proof of a causal relationship. Researchers from the Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry have now provided this: for ...

Is there a connection between musical engagement and mental health problems?

Musically Active People Have a Slightly Higher Genetic Risk for Certain Mental Illnesses

09-Feb-2023 - Intuitively, people commonly believe that making music is good for their mental health. Music therapies also rely on a positive influence of music on mental health problems. However, compared to musically inactive people, musicians more often seem to suffer from depression and anxiety disorders. ...

Researchers develop blood test for depression, bipolar disorder

13-Apr-2021 - Worldwide, 1 in 4 people will suffer from a depressive episode in their lifetime. While current diagnosis and treatment approaches are largely trial and error, a breakthrough study by Indiana University School of Medicine researchers sheds new light on the biological basis of mood disorders, and ...

Small RNAs link immune system and brain cells

Sex-specific processes in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder

13-Nov-2019 - Recent studies have found a high genetic similarity of the psychiatric diseases schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, whose disease-specific changes in brain cells show an overlap of more than 70 percent. These changes affect gene expression, i.e., transcription of genes for the purpose of ...

Many brain disorders are genetically linked

28-Aug-2018 - A global study conducted by the international "Brainstorm Consortium" has, for the first time, analysed the genome of 1.1 million patients with psychiatric and neurological disorders and has shown that certain brain disorders are genetically related. For example, there is a significant ...

Genetic link discovered between circadian rhythms and mood disorders

20-Aug-2018 - Circadian rhythms are regular 24-hour variations in behaviour and activity that control many aspects of our lives, from hormone levels to sleeping and eating habits. In the largest ever genetic study of circadian rest-activity cycles in humans, scientists at the University of Glasgow have ...

How your brain helps you learn new skills

13-Feb-2018 - Even if you haven't ridden your bike in years, you probably remember how to do so without giving it much thought. If you're a skilled piano player, odds are you can easily sit down and play a song you've rehearsed before. And, when you drive to work, you're likely not actively thinking about your ...

Underlying molecular mechanism of bipolar disorder revealed

10-May-2017 - An international collaborative study led by researchers at Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute (SBP) , with major participation from Yokohama School of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, and UC San Diego, has identified the molecular mechanism behind lithium's effectiveness in ...

Feeling lonely? Study says it's in your DNA

30-Sep-2016 - Loneliness is linked to poor physical and mental health, and is an even more accurate predictor of early death than obesity. To better understand who is at risk, researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine conducted the first genome-wide association study for loneliness — ...