NEWS BACKGROUND RESEARCH FAQ CGRP TEAM LINKS				FAQ
				Questions on our linkage study: Who is doing this research? What is our goal? What is a gene? Is schizophrenia inherited? Is the idea of schizophrenia being inherited a new idea? Why are we looking for a faulty gene? Is there just one gene? Are there other causes? How do you look for a gene? Who can help? How are families helping our research? What is the interview for? What is the blood sample for? Why do we look for variations in the DNA? What does it mean to find a "linked" gene? How do we get over to the gene? What is the next step after a schizophrenia gene is found? How soon will new treatments be available? A research nurse has recently contacted me about participating in another research project. Is it okay for me to get involved? Questions on 22q11 Deletion Syndrome: What is 22q11 Deletion Syndrome and what causes it? Are there any known genes that cause this syndrome? How often does 22qDS occur? Do all individuals diagnosed with 22qDS develop schizophrenia? Does the deletion occur because of something that happened during the pregnancy or how the child was brought up? If I have 22qDS, what are the chances that my offspring will have 22qDS as well? Why is genetic counselling so important? Can people with 22qDS work? Do all people with 22qDS share the same medical symptoms with the same severity? What are the medical problems associated with 22qDS? What are the learning difficulties associated with 22qDS? How easy is it to diagnose someone with 22qDS? Does 22qDS ever go away? What is the life expectancy of a person with this syndrome? What are the goals of our 22qDS research? If you have a question that is not answered here, please contact us and we will answer you personally. Who is doing this research? [ top ] We are doctors, scientists, and researchers. We are committed to finding a cause for schizophrenia and developing better treatments. One in 100 people worldwide suffers with schizophrenia. The burden of this illness is shared with the family since this most devastating disease strikes young men and women in their prime teenage or early adult years and the illness is often lifelong. What is our goal? [ top ] Our goal is to find a faulty gene that causes schizophrenia, then find out what it does and use this knowledge to develop better treatments for the illness. We are hopeful that with new advances in diagnosis and genetic techniques this goal is now within reach. Researchers have used similar methods to locate and then identify genes causing familial Alzheimer disease, and many other diseases. What is a gene? [ top ] A gene is a very small piece of DNA or genetic material (the building blocks of life that are in every cell in our body). Each gene has its own job that contributes to making the body work. We inherit our genes from our parents. Is schizophrenia inherited? [ top ] Schizophrenia appears to be inherited in many families. Researchers are therefore looking to see if there are specific genetic factors causing the illness. There is a lot of evidence that genes are very important in predisposing to schizophrenia although the illness is considered to be "multifactorial". Multiple genes and perhaps other factors may be involved in causing schizophrenia.  And new genetic changes mean the illness may not be inherited, although it could be transmitted to the next generation from a previous generation. Is the idea of schizophrenia being inherited a new idea? [ top ] No. For many hundreds of years people have noticed that schizophrenia tends to run in families. But people have also noticed that many times the disease appears out of the blue. Also, schizophrenia is not always passed on even if it is present in a family. For example, even if your parent had the illness, your chance of developing schizophrenia is about 10% to 15%. Why are we looking for a faulty gene? [ top ] We believe that searching for a gene is the best strategy we have to find a cause for schizophrenia. Finding a gene will make it possible to work out the "chemical imbalance" in the brain we suspect is causing the symptoms of schizophrenia. Is there just one gene? [ top ] Because schizophrenia is such a complex illness, it is likely there are several genes that predispose to schizophrenia. Tracking down even one of these genes will be a major advance. Are there other causes? [ top ] There may be, but so far there is no concrete evidence for other causes. Viruses and other biological causes are possibilities. And there may be other factors that can increase or decrease the chance that the illness will be expressed. For example, marijuana use in teen years is one of the factors shown to increase the risk for schizophrenia. How do you look for a gene? [ top ] It is not easy. There are over 25,000 different genes in the human genome. About one third to one half of all genes act in the brain. Special families are helping us to pinpoint a gene that is faulty and that may be causing the schizophrenia. Who can help? [ top ] The special families who are helping us in the first stage of finding important genes are large families. These special large families have two or more family members who have schizophrenia. How are families helping our research? [ top ] The family members are having interviews about how their health (mental and physical) has been over the years and how their relatives have been. They are also giving a blood sample. What is the interview for? [ top ] The interviews help us know more about each person's health, whether there have been any nerve troubles and what has been most helpful to the person over the years. This is important for us to have a better understanding of the symptoms of any illness in the family.