25 Years of Breakthroughs: Important Genetic Links to Schizophrenia Discovered

In 2008, Scientific Council Members Mary-Claire King, Ph.D. from the University of Washington—widely known for her discovery of a mutation in a gene she named BRCA1 that led to powerful breast cancer diagnostics—and Judith Rapoport, M.D. of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) led research teams discovering rare genetic mutations found in high volumes in people with schizophrenia. These mutations - genes that are either deleted or duplicated throughout the genome - are thought to disrupt the brain during development, offering evidence that they could signal susceptibility for developing various mental illnesses (in this case schizophrenia and autism).

Read an article about this research from the 2010 issue of Breakthroughs

Read a comprehensive summary of this research from the NIMH

Read the scientific abstract from the April 25, 2008 issue of Science Magazine
 

Recovery Story:
A Grandmother's Story - This touching story is about a grandmother who wants to do everything she can to help find a cure and better treatments for her 8-year-old grandson, Reagan, diagnosed with Autism. She supports the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation because she feels research is the way:

"I think science is going to explain to us a bit better what the spectrum disorder is, which will lead to interventions that will allow us to - if not prevent - avoid the worst of the consequences of spectrum disorder issues," Hughes said. "The research is key to helping us find ways to alleviate the destruction that can happen in people's lives. We need to allow children to grow up normally and not be detoured into such debilitating problems."