New Study Reveals Possible Causes of Psychiatric Disorders

In a new study, scientists from Forschungszentrum Jülich and Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf (HHU) have now demonstrated for the first time that dysfunctional protein formation is linked to the development of certain psychiatric disorders. The investigations focused on the disrupted in schizophrenia 1 (DISC1) protein. A dysfunction of DISC1 has already been observed in disorders such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorders, and severe depressions. The researchers were now able to show that DISC1 can give rise to amyloid fibrils that have noticeable similarities with fibrils found in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. The study has now been published in the journal Translational Psychiatry.

Further information on the Website of Forschungszentrums Jülich: https://www.fz-juelich.de/SharedDocs/Meldungen/PORTAL/DE/2022/2022-01-11-disc.html (german)