2nd genetic code could provide clues to schizophrenia, bipolar disorder

New Canadian research suggests chemical changes to genes may trigger the altered brain functions resulting in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, a finding that may lead to better understanding and treatment of the conditions.

“The DNA sequence of genes for someone with an illness like schizophrenia and for someone without a mental illness often look the same; there are no visible changes that explain the cause of a disease,” Dr. Arturas Petronis, a senior scientist at Krembil Family Epigenetics Laboratory at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, said in a release.

“But we now have tools that show us changes in the second code, the epigenetic code.”