RESEARCH PROJECTS - Full Description
Project TitleGene-Environment Interactions in the Developmental Trajectory to Schizophrenia
Project DescriptionHeritability estimates for schizophrenia are greater than 80%; however, to date no genes of major effect have been identified and recent simulations suggest that the gene-environment interactions may play a large role in the heritability of this illness (1). There are a number of robust epidemiological findings that support the role of gene-environment interactions in the aetiology of schizophrenia (1), (2), (3), (4). The current evidence supports a neurodevelopmental view of schizophrenia (5) but surprisingly few of these studies have examined how genetic and environmental factors may interact during early life to set up a trajectory of aberrant development. Here we propose to examine the developmental trajectories of schizophrenia patients, their unaffected siblings and controls in order to examine the relative impact of environmental and genetic influences on risk for schizophrenia. The risk factors for schizophrenia that we will examine are (1) delayed motor development in childhood and (2) exposure to obstetric complications. Evidence for childhood motor developmental abnormalities preceding schizophrenia are well documented from both high-risk studies and general birth cohort data (6-11). And obstetric complications is one of the most investigated categories of environmental risk factors for schizophrenia (12). There is, however, no information available on how the effects of these established risk factors are either mediated or moderated when experienced together and what the effect of joint exposure to these risk factors on overall risk for schizophrenia is. The inclusion of an unaffected sibling group will allow us to model the impact of these risk factors in a genetically high-risk sample.
Leading PICannon Mary, RCSI
Co investigators Mary Clarke, RCSI
Funding SourceStanley Medical Research Institute Research Project Grant


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