Science News about Genetics

Gene Associated with Social Behavior in Animals Has Similar Effects in Human Males

Science Update • September 02, 2008

A gene variant related to the hormone vasopressin appears to be associated with how human males bond with their partners or wives, according to an NIMH-funded study.

Mice Expressing Human Genes Bred to Help Unravel Mental Disorders

Science Update • June 26, 2008

New mouse strains engineered to express human genes related to mental disorders are being developed under a recently-launched grant program from NIMH’s Division of Neuroscience and Basic Behavioral Science.

One Gene Overrides Another to Prevent Brain Changes that Foster Depression

Science Update • March 12, 2008

For what appears to be the first time in humans, scientists have detected an interaction between genes that may help prevent brain changes that increase vulnerability to depression.

Genetic Tags Reveal Secrets of Memories’ Staying Power in Mice

Press Release • February 21, 2008

A better understanding of how memory works is emerging from a newfound ability to link a learning experience in a mouse to consequent changes in the inner workings of its neurons. Researchers, supported in part by the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), have developed a way to pinpoint the specific cellular components that sustain a specific memory in genetically-engineered mice.

Scans Reveal Faulty Brain Wiring Caused by Missing Genes

Science Update • February 20, 2008

An NIMH study using an emerging imaging technology has discovered faulty wiring in the brains of people with Williams Syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that affects some aspects of thinking.

IQ Boost From Breast Milk Linked to Gene-Environment Interaction

Science Update • December 17, 2007

A new study shows that the intellectual boost associated with breast milk is only attained if a child has inherited one of two versions of a specific gene.

Schizophrenia-Related Gene Linked to Imbalance in Dopamine Pathways

Science Update • December 17, 2007

Forms of a gene known to increase risk for schizophrenia may create an imbalance in brain pathways for dopamine, suggests a recent study by NIMH scientists.

Bipolar Disorder Phenome Database May Aid Search for Related Genes

Science Update • October 02, 2007

Early findings from the recently launched Bipolar Disorder Phenome Database were published in the August 2007 issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry.

Suspect Schizophrenia Genes Act Together to Thwart Working Memory

Science Update • August 28, 2007

Two gene variants implicated in schizophrenia interact to degrade the brain's ability to process information, NIMH researchers have discovered.

Gene Triggers Obsessive Compulsive Disorder-Like Syndrome in Mice

Press Release • August 22, 2007

Using genetic engineering, researchers have created an obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) - like set of behaviors in mice and reversed them with antidepressants and genetic targeting of a key brain circuit. The study, by National Institutes of Health (NIH) -funded researchers, suggests new strategies for treating the disorder.

New Studies Search for Clues to Mental Illness in Gatekeepers of Gene Expression

Science Update • August 10, 2007

What goes awry in the brain to cause mental illness may ultimately be traced to glitches in genes - but not necessarily the parts of genes commonly suspected.

Gene Predicts Better Outcome as Cortex Normalizes in Teens with ADHD

Science Update • August 06, 2007

Brain areas that control attention were thinnest in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) who carried a particular version of a gene in a study by the National Institutes of Health's (NIH) National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH).

Genetic Roots of Bipolar Disorder Revealed by First Genome-Wide Study of Illness

Press Release • May 08, 2007

The likelihood of developing bipolar disorder depends in part on the combined, small effects of variations in many different genes in the brain, none of which is powerful enough to cause the disease by itself, a new study shows.

Cortex Area Thinner in Youth with Alzheimer’s-Related Gene

Press Release • April 24, 2007

A part of the brain first affected by Alzheimer’s disease is thinner in youth with a risk gene for the disorder, a brain imaging study by researchers at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), one of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has found.

Gene Knockout Unleashes Manic Mouse

Science Update • April 05, 2007

Mice engineered to lack a specific gene showed behaviors similar to human mania in a study funded in part by NIMH; they were hyperactive, slept less, appeared less depressed and anxious, and craved sugar, cocaine and pleasure stimulation.

Tiny, Spontaneous Gene Mutations May Boost Autism Risk

Press Release • March 15, 2007

Tiny gene mutations, each individually rare, pose more risk for autism than had been previously thought, suggests a study funded in part by the National Institute of Mental Health, a component of the National Institutes of Health.

Largest-Ever Search for Autism Genes Reveals New Clues

Press Release • February 18, 2007

The largest search for autism genes to date, funded in part by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has implicated components of the brain’s glutamate chemical messenger system and a previously overlooked site on chromosome 11.

Common Gene Version Optimizes Thinking — but With a Possible Downside

Press Release • February 09, 2007

Most people inherit a version of a gene that optimizes their brain’s thinking circuitry, yet also appears to increase risk for schizophrenia, a severe mental illness marked by impaired thinking, scientists at the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) have discovered.

New Tests May Help Researchers Detect Genetic Basis For Autism

Science Update • January 30, 2007

Researchers have developed a set of behavioral tests in mice that mimic the core features of autism and may prove useful in detecting a genetic basis for the deficits in social interactions and rigid thinking seen in the disorder.

Mouse Model May Reveal Anxiety Gene, Marker for Antidepressant Failure

Science Update • November 09, 2006

Studies of a new mouse model suggest that a specific gene variation plays a role in the development of anxiety disorders and in resistance to common medications for anxiety and depression.

Gene Linked to Autism in Families with More Than One Affected Child

Press Release • October 17, 2006

A version of a gene has been linked to autism in families that have more than one child with the disorder. Inheriting two copies of this version more than doubled a child’s risk of developing an autism spectrum disorder, scientists supported by NIMH and NICHD have discovered.

Gene Therapy May One Day Prevent AIDS–Related Brain–Cell Death

Science Update • October 11, 2006

Scientists have shown that gene therapy has potential for treating brain pathology triggered by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), which causes AIDS.

Aggression-Related Gene Weakens Brain’s Impulse Control Circuits

Press Release • March 20, 2006

A version of a gene previously linked to impulsive violence appears to weaken brain circuits that regulate impulses, emotional memory and thinking in humans, researchers at NIMH have found.

Gene Influences Antidepressant Response

Press Release • March 15, 2006

Whether depressed patients will respond to an antidepressant depends, in part, on which version of a gene they inherit, a study led by scientists at NIH has discovered. Having two copies of one version of a gene that codes for a component of the brain’s mood―regulating system increased the odds of a favorable response to an antidepressant by up to 18 percent, compared to having two copies of the other, more common version.

Schizophrenia Gene Variant Linked to Risk Traits

Press Release • August 11, 2004

Researchers at the NIH's National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) have identified a relationship between a small section of one gene, the brain chemical messenger glutamate, and a collection of traits known to be associated with schizophrenia.

Gene Enhances Prefrontal Function at a Price

Press Release • May 07, 2003

Studies of a gene that affects how efficiently the brain’s frontal lobes process information are revealing some untidy consequences of a tiny variation in its molecular structure and how it may increase susceptibility to schizophrenia.

Human Gene Affects Memory

Press Release • January 23, 2003

NIH scientists have shown that a common gene variant influences memory for events in humans by altering a growth factor in the brain's memory hub.

Gene May Bias Amygdala Response to Frightful Faces

Press Release • July 18, 2002

The amygdala, the brain structure known as the hub of fear, responds differently to pictures of scary faces, depending on which version of a gene one has inherited, report National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) scientists.