Findings of a study conducted by members of the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium suggest the presence of genetic alterations common to major psychiatric disorders, such as autism, ADHD, bipolar disorder, depression, and schizophrenia. These results provide evidence relevant to the goal of moving beyond descriptive syndromes in psychiatry, and towards a nosology informed by disease cause.
It has long been known that the SHANK3 gene is involved in the genesis of autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders. The dynamics of this involvement were instead clarified a few months ago and concern a defect in protein connection between brain neurons. Will this discovery determine new nosographic frameworks and allow the development of new therapies?