Gene mutation increases disorders risk tenfold

A rare gene mutation that increases the risk of developing schizophrenia or bipolar disorder more than tenfold has been identified by medical scientists at Trinity College Dublin.

The researchers said Irish people are “more closely related” than other populations, allowing them to pick up on the mutation in Irish descendants of the person from Northern Europe they believe brought the mutation here in the first place.

Aiden Corvin, professor in psychiatry at the School of Medicine at Trinity and head of the Psychosis Research Group, said the Irish population may be advantageous for this type of gene discovery programme.