Project Summary

Christopher A. Walsh, M.D., Ph.D. (Distinguished Investigator 2008) of the Children’s Hospital, Boston, Harvard University, will study a group of families of patients with a subtype of schizophrenia that is co-morbid with mental retardation. He hypothesizes that these patients may represent a more penetrant subtype; that is, they harbor more chromosomal anomalies or genetic mutations, which could serve to broaden the identification of genes involved in the development of schizophrenia. His sample group will consist of 40 consanguinous, or blood-related, families with mild mental retardation and psychosis, enrolled in the Middle East where there is access to large and closely related families. His laboratory’s ongoing studies of autism suggest that, as in autism, consanguinity may be a risk factor for schizophrenia. Using software developed in his lab, Dr. Walsh will identify genetic regions in affected individuals that are most likely to harbor causative mutations. Genes implicated will then be examined in schizophrenia patients without mental retardation. Identification of schizophrenia susceptibility genes will allow further research into the developmental pathways of the disorder and subsequent study in mouse models, which, in turn, may provide bases for future drug development and testing.

Program Area: SCHIZOPHRENIA/PSYCHOTIC DISORDERS

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