That which makes us clever, makes us mad

[Pebbz]

Painter Van Gogh and author Jack Kerouac were both hailed as geniuses but displayed self-destructive behaviour. Now scientists have discovered a gene which is linked to both intelligence and one of the most common forms of madness - schizophrenia

 

Some interesting information relating to mental illness and the idea it could all just be in your genes

 

One of the most devastating types of mental illness could be a by-product of the evolution of human beings’ uniquely sophisticated intelligence, a new genetic study has suggested.

 

Scientists have discovered that a common version of a particular gene appears both to enhance a key thinking circuit in the brain, and to be linked to a raised risk of schizophrenia.

 

The findings, from a study by the US National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), provide fresh evidence for the theory that schizophrenia is the price that some people pay for our species’s peculiarly advanced intellectual abilities.

 

The research hints that some of the genetic factors that underpin the human brain’s cognitive capacities can also go wrong to leave a sizeable minority prone to mental illness.

 

In the study, the NIMH team examined a common variant of a gene called DARPP-32. Three quarters of the subjects studied had inherited at least one copy of the variant.

 

This common version of the gene appears to make the brain’s most sophisticated thinking region more efficient, the researchers found. It improves the way that information is exchanged between the striatum, a brain region that processes reward, and the prefrontal cortex, the brain’s executive hub that manages thoughts and actions.

 

When this circuit works efficiently, the normal outcome is more flexible thinking and improved working memory. As a result, genes such as DARPP-32 that enhance it have probably been favoured by evolution.

 

The same circuit, however, has also been linked to brain functions that go wrong in patients with schizophrenia. An investigation of 257 families with a history of the condition showed that the improving version of DARPP-32 was more common among people who had developed the mental illness.

 

Daniel Weinberger, of NIMH, said it was possible that while a more efficient link between the prefrontal cortex and striatum normally im- proves cognitive ability, it may have a negative effect when other genetic and environ- mental factors interfere. The result could be a predisposition to schizophrenia, which is known to be caused by a combination of genes and a person’s environment.

 

“Our results raise the question of whether a gene variant favoured by evolution, that would normally confer advantage, may translate into a disadvantage if the prefrontal cortex is impaired, as in schizophrenia,” Dr Weinberger said.

 

“Normally, enhanced cortex connectivity with the striatum would provide increased flexibility, working memory capacity and executive control. But if other genes and environmental events conspire to render the cortex incapable of handling such information, it could backfire — resulting in the neural equivalent of a superhighway to a dead end.”

 

Andreas Meyer-Lindenberg, another member of the team, said: “We have found that DARPP-32 shapes and controls a circuit coursing between the human striatum and prefrontal cortex that affects key brain functions implicated in schizophrenia, such as motivation, working memory and reward related learning.”

 

Details of the study are published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

 

Previous research, notably by Paul Greengard, of Rockefeller University, a Nobel laureate, has established that DARPP-32 acts in the striatum to route information to the brain’s cortex for processing. It operates through the neurotrans- mitter dopamine, which is thought to be overactive in people with schizophrenia.

 

The new work, to which Dr Greengard contributed, is the first study to show a direct link between the gene and more efficient brain circuity, and possibly to schizophrenia as well.

 

“Although groups have looked for possible clinical relevance of DARPP-32, they have not met with great success. This study shows a strong connection between this molecule and human cognition — and perhaps with schizophrenia.”

 

Troubled minds

 

John Nash Mathematical genius whose 30-year battle against mental illness ended in triumph when he was awarded the 1994 Nobel Prize in economics. His life was recreated in the 2001 film A Beautiful Mind

 

Syd Barrett Enigmatic founder of Pink Floyd developed schizophrenia as the psychedelic band’s popularity took off

 

Jack Kerouac The Beat Generation’s most famous member was given a diagnosis of “dementia praecox”, an archaic term for schizophrenia, after enlisting in the Navy

 

Vaslav Nijinsky The Russian ballet dancer moved in and out of mental sanitoriums from 1919 until his death in 1950

 

Source www.schizophrenia.com

Edited February 10, 2007 by Pebbles

[Pebbz]

And here is another bit of information in addition to the first post.

 

By Mya Blake

A new study has found a gene that is both linked to schizophrenia as well as our intelligence level

 

It is being reported that a new study has found a link between schizophrenia and a gene responsible for enhanced thought capability. The study was conducted by researchers with the US National Institute of Mental Health, and finds that some genetic factors that enhance the thought processes of the human race, are also responsible for an increased risk of schizophrenia.

 

The team has identified the gene in question, known as DARPP-32, which in their study appeared to be present in 3 out of 4 study participants.

 

"Our results raise the question of whether a gene variant favoured by evolution, that would normally confer advantage, may translate into a disadvantage if the prefrontal cortex is impaired, as in schizophrenia," Dr Weinberger said.

 

"Normally, enhanced cortex connectivity with the striatum would provide increased flexibility, working memory capacity and executive control.

 

"But if other genes and environmental events conspire to render the cortex incapable of handling such information, it could backfire - resulting in the neural equivalent of a superhighway to a dead end."

 

The researchers conclude by saying that schizophrenia maybe a byproduct of an evolutionary change aimed at furthering the ability of human beings to think.

[Indycar]

Good find Pebs. Definately an interestin' read.

 

Cheers for that.

 

[bufo marinus]

Thanks Pebbles... the subject of schizophrenia is something I have been trying to come to grips with and witnessed first hand with 2 people close to me. Both female, both suffering from Post Traumatic Stress after violent sexual assaults.

It is the most frustrating thing to deal with I could list so many bizarre things that have happened and been said.... One of my friends is like that kid in the movie The Sixth Sense, she sees dead people all the time. Sometimes she might not see any for a while other times she gets a couple a day. This has been happening for 12 years. Both have said they are waiting/hoping to die on numerous occasions when the accompaning depresssion becomes too much.

 

John Nash Mathematical genius whose 30-year battle against mental illness ended in triumph when he was awarded the 1994 Nobel Prize in economics. His life was recreated in the 2001 film A Beautiful Mind

This movie does a great job of conveying the daily struggle these people and their families face and helped me to try and understand things a little better although I will never understand fully

 

Syd Barrett Enigmatic founder of Pink Floyd developed schizophrenia as the psychedelic band’s popularity took off

Poor Syd, he showed flashes of brilliance even after going crazy. A friend has just tracked down Pink Floyds first album and Syd's 2 solo albums, she says his solo albums are very good. I am very curious to have a listen.