US EditionGerman Researchers Link Single Gene to Schizophrenia
The study found GRIN2A variants cause early-onset schizophrenia and other disorders in childhood or adolescence, with 235 patients analyzed and initial L-serine treatment showing improvement.
- On November 14, 2025, the Institute of Human Genetics, University of Leipzig Medical Center published a study in Molecular Psychiatry showing changes in the GRIN2A gene can cause mental illness.
- Researchers targeted the GRIN2A gene because it centrally regulates nerve‑cell excitability and the NMDA receptor, making it a plausible single‑gene driver of psychiatric disorders.
- Analysis of the cohort revealed that individuals with GRIN2A alterations showed childhood or adolescence onset and variants reduced NMDA receptor activity linked to psychiatric symptoms.
- An initial treatment series with L‑serine produced marked improvement in psychiatric symptoms in patients, and authors suggest GRIN2A could enable precision therapy for linked disorders.
- By identifying GRIN2A as a high‑risk gene, the research challenges polygenic assumptions by linking GRIN2A null variants to early‑onset schizophrenia and aids families at genetic risk in psychiatric genetics research community.
14 Articles
14 Articles
Human genetics study: Changes in a single gene can cause mental illness
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), in 2021 almost one in seven people worldwide was living with a mental illness, with anxiety disorders and depression the most common. Mental disorders typically have complex causes with a major genetic component. Having a close family member who is affected is regarded as one of the greatest known risk factors. Previous studies assumed that mental disorders arise against the background of numerous
GRIN2A null variants confer a high risk for early-onset schizophrenia and other mental disorders and potentially enable precision therapy
Rare genetic factors have been shown to substantially contribute to mental illness, but so far, no precision treatments for mental disorders have been described. It was recently identified that rare variants in GRIN2A encoding the GluN2A subunit of the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) confer a …
Genetic causes of schizophrenia: What to know
Schizophrenia is a serious psychiatric disorder that affects how people feel, think, and behave. It impacts approximately 1% of the population, or about 3.5 million people in the United States. This condition is a major cause of disability and death, and it has a strong genetic component, with around 80% of the risk being inherited. […] The post Genetic causes of schizophrenia: What to know appeared first on Knowridge Science Report.
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