Study Boosts Schizophrenia Search

WA families have helped local scientists identify a particular type of schizophrenia, increasing their chances of pinpointing the genetic causes of the disorder. WAIMR researchers have been spearheading this important research initiative by collaborating with local and international researchers in the area of schizophrenia.

Despite common perceptions, schizophrenia is not simply one disease, but is in fact a mix of several conditions. Research led by Assen Jablensky, UWA Professor of Psychiatry and Director of the WAIMR affiliated Centre for Clinical Research in Neuropsychiatry, has identified one of these conditions and shown it has a distinctive genetic basis. The findings of the WA researchers have been published in the American Journal of Human Genetics and help scientists move forward in their quest to find the genes linked to this devastating mental disorder, which affects more than 9,000 West Australians. More than 110 WA families where one or more members are affected by schizophrenia formed part of the study. The research also found that there was a strong link between the newly identified type of schizophrenia and a region on a particular chromosome containing genes suspected of being involved in the disorder.

These discoveries give researchers hope of speeding up the process of being able to pin down what genes might have a role to play in causing schizophrenia. If they can track those down, the potential to improve treatments and even prevent the disorder will increase dramatically.

Australian Schizophrenia Research Bank

The Australian Schizophrenia Research Bank (ASRB) is a consortium of research centres and clinical facilities across Australia, that aims to collect a large sample of schizophrenia probands, their first-degree relatives and case controls with linked clinical, cognitive, neuroanatomical and genetic data. These data will be available to Australian and international researchers, to support schizophrenia research with the ultimate aim of improved treatments and preventative strategies for this devastating disorder. The Western Australian ASRB laboratory, headed by Professor Luba Kalaydjieva, is part of WAIMR. It hosts close to 1,000 biological samples donated by patients, families and control individuals, with large-scale genetic studies already in progress.