"Some Children Born With the Genetic Risk For Schizophrenia, Scientists Say"
Schizophrenic patients rarely display symptoms of their mental illness before adulthood. In new research, scientists have found important evidence supporting the idea that a certain subset of those who develop the highly hereditary disease are genetically set on that path before birth. "When a schizophrenic patient walks into a clinic at 18 [hearing voices], you’re seeing what’s already gone wrong," said Kristen Brennand, PhD, an assistant professor of neuroscience at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and one of the lead authors of the study published Thursday. "This shows us what goes wrong earlier in life, before symptoms ever develop." Learn more.