Introduction
Schizophrenia is not unheard of; there have been many groups that raised the awareness for the disease and institutions that set up clinical trials for people with schizophrenia. Many individuals are affected by it, and they had lived a compromised life. This mental disorder continues to make patients suffer, along with their family and friends. Despite the relevance of this mental disorder in our society, many people have little or no knowledge of it or have many misconceptions about the disorder. As such, this disease will be the topic of interest in this paper. This paper will take into light a recent study regarding schizophrenia that had successfully provided hope that this mental disorder will be cured in the future. The study had tried to associate a specific gene locus and the proteins it produces with the specific brain structure that are commonly seen in patients with schizophrenia. The study had also shed light into the mystery as to why the gene loci that facilitates the immune system of the body is directly associated with this mental disorder and as to why schizophrenia start to manifest at adolescent stages or early adulthood (Sekar et al., 2016).
Science and Methods Used
Background on Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a mental disorder wherein the affected individual has problems with making a clear line between reality and what is unreal, thus causing a split from reality. This is different from having multiple personalities which some often associate with schizophrenia. This mental disorder makes people affected by it to have difficulties in their thought processes, social relations, and other motor functions. People with schizophrenia were also reported hearing or seeing things that do not really exist. They also tend to believe that people are watching them or pushing them to harmful situations. Moreover, schizophrenia also makes one easily agitated (Nordqvist, 2016). As such, it makes it difficult for people with schizophrenia to keep up with the demands of their daily life and become productive individuals (“Schizophrenia”, n.d.).
Cure
There is no known cure yet for schizophrenia. This is mainly because researchers have not pinpointed the exact reason or mechanism by which schizophrenia develops. As such, research had led people to know the affected regions of the brain and the risk factors (environment and genetic composition) for schizophrenia. Furthermore, there are available treatments that may help alleviate the symptoms and improve the quality of life for those with the mental disorder (National Institute of Mental Health, 2016). Fortunately, a recent research had caused excitement in the scientific and medical community because it had apparently provided insights into the mechanism of the mental disorder (Carey, 2016).
The major histocompatibility complex locus or simply MHC locus is the part of the chromosome of humans that show the most association with schizophrenia. A locus, such as MHC, covers many bases of genes and it happens that MHC locus covers megabases (refs 6-10). This locus is likewise significant for its association with the human body's immunity responses. As such, it remains a mystery as to why MHC, a locus associated with immunity is also associated with schizophrenia (Sekar, et al., 2016).
Moreover, using statistical analysis, the study had looked closely into genes in the MHC locus and had observed C4 genes. C4 genes are genes that exist in two alternatives or isotypes (C4A and C4B) and come in four variants. These variants also vary in number and structures within one's genetic makeup. Moreover, these variants have varying types of proteins that they produce-- C4-A protein and C4-B protein. Upon analysis of 64, 000 people with schizophrenia, the study had found that they have with them overactive variations of C4-A protein than of people without schizophrenia which served as the control. As such, they arrived at the hypothesis that C4-A protein fuels schizophrenia. This discovery is highly relevant and significant since it had been established that the proteins that the genes in the MHC locus produce are involved in the pruning or elimination of the synapses in normal brain development. Studies in mice had shown that in the absence of C4 which lies in the MHC locus, there is no pruning or elimination of synapses (Sekar et al., 2016).
Evaluation of the Data Obtained
Discovery
The study, together with other previous information or established studies regarding schizophrenia, had suggested that overexpression or over activity of the C4-A protein may cause unstable pruning or elimination of synapses that may likewise become detrimental since this is a process that is necessary and critical for brain development. Moreover, the authors of the study had concluded that with excessive C4-A, there will be excessive pruning, thus a reduced prefrontal layer of the brain for those with schizophrenia. The prefrontal cortex is the part of the brain that is centered on the thinking or cognitive skills in individuals (Sekar et al., 2016).
Incidentally, the adolescent stages and early adulthood in humans are characterized by an extensive pruning of the synapses in the brain, specifically in regions of the cerebral cortex which is the prefrontal cortex. This specific timeline by which humans undergo synapse pruning is unique. Likewise, these same stages in life by which humans undergo extensive brain maturation by synapse pruning are also the same stages when people would manifest schizophrenia and show their symptoms. This incidental irregular synapse pruning in people with schizophrenia is also associated with the loss in the grey matter in the brain that is apparent in the brain structure of the affected individuals (Sekar, et al., 2016).
However, there are many other factors that contribute to schizophrenia that makes the study unable to reach any solid conclusion. As such, this discrepancy in the MHC locus increases the likelihood of an individual to develop schizophrenia by 25 percent (Carey, 2016).
Possible Advancements
The study had paved the way for people in the medical and scientific community to take a different perspective regarding schizophrenia. It had been long suspected that pruning in the synapses has something to do with schizophrenia and the research had finally confirmed this. Aside from supporting this claim, this research had also shown the mechanism by which the synapse pruning becomes irregular. The study had also identified the genes responsible for this which may likewise allow modifications on the right locus. This study had also successfully explained why schizophrenia manifest itself when adolescent onsets—it is also the time when synapse pruning is extensively done (Carey, 2016)
Moreover, many had made it clear that this study is not a victory. This does not mean that a cure will be developed soon, it only means that there is something that people involved with the study of schizophrenia will have something to work on which would eventually lead to a clearer understanding of the mental disorder (Carey, 2016).
Conclusion
The study had linked the C4 gene variants and the proteins it produces (C4A and C4B) to have a major role in the development of schizophrenia. Irregularities in C4A cause irregularities in the synapse pruning that causes a thinner grey matter evident in people with schizophrenia. As such, the study had laid the foundations for the future development of drugs that could cure schizophrenia by providing the direction by which future research should go through.
References
Carey, B. (2016). Scientists Move Closer to Understanding Schizophrenia’s Cause. New York Times. Retrieved March 1, 2016, from http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/28/health/schizophrenia-cause-synaptic-pruning-brain-psychiatry.html?_r=0
National Institute of Mental Health. (2016). Schizophrenia. Retrieved March 1, 2016, from http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/schizophrenia-booklet-12-2015/index.shtml#pub7
Nordqvist, C. (2016). Schizophrenia: Symptoms, Causes and Treatments. Retrieved March 1, 2016, from http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/36942.php
Schizophrenia. (n.d.). Retrieved March 1, 2016, from http://www.helpguide.org/articles/schizophrenia/schizophrenia-signs-types-and-causes.htm#causes
Sekar, A., Bialas, A., de Rivera, H., Davis, A., Hammond, T., & McCarroll, S. (2016).
Schizophrenia risk from Complex Variation of complement component 4. Nature, 0(1).
