A new discovery recently published in The FASEB Journal links the malformation of a single protein, called “SRGAP3”, to problems in brain functioning that cause symptoms akin to some mental health disorders seen in children. This finding offers a new target for the development of treatments that aim to reverse the biological cause, rather than treat the symptoms.
This study used mice with an inactivated SRGAP3 protein. These mice showed clear changes in brain anatomy, resulting in altered behavior that showed similarities to human neurological and psychiatric diseases. If SRGAP3 abnormalities are apparent in multiple brain disorders, it could be a possibly link between them.
The development of brain disorders such as schizophrenia, mental retardation and autism is quite devastating in children and young adults. Finding a commonality between these disorders will aid in discovering potentially powerful treatments in preventing or reversing onset of these disorders.
Link: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/10/121031132752.htm:
