"New research explains why defects in the brain's white matter may be a key contributor to schizophrenia. The findings also demonstrate the mechanism of action of two genes already linked to the disease.
Prior studies associated the genes for neuregulin 1 (NRG1), a growth factor involved in brain development, and erbB4, a receptor on brain cells through which NRG1 exerts its action with schizophrenia. Until now, however, it hadn't been shown that alterations in these genes lead to psychiatric disorders, according to researchers at Children's Hospital Boston Neurobiology Program.
Working in a mouse model, this team demonstrated that alterations in NRG1-erbB signaling induce pathologic changes in the brain's white matter. They further show that these changes lead to alterations in biochemical signaling and to behaviors suggestive of mental illness."
