Possible Genetic Link To Schizophrenia Identified

... Several neurological and psychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia, are associated with changes in the brain that affect nerves that communicate with each other using dopamine. One protein that is crucial for dopamine-mediated neuronal communication in animals is DARPP-32. Now, researchers have shown that the gene that encodes DARPP-32 in humans exhibits genetic variation and that one particular variant is associated with increased performance in a number of cognitive tests and with an increased risk of schizophrenia. ...