Schizophrenia is a common psychiatric disorder affecting approximately 1% of the population. The disease has a strong hereditary component, but it has been suggested that multiple genes are involved as well as non-genetic factors. The aim of our studies is to determine the genetic basis of schizophrenia and identify the genetic risk factors for this psychiatric trait.
A whole-genome genetic study is currently being performed by our group in a large sample of patients and controls. This will lead to the identification of specific regions in the genome associated with schizophrenia. However, further analysis is required to narrow down each candidate region in order to identify the disease-associated genes. This project involves genotyping, haplotype analysis, sequencing, and data mining methods, among other techniques.
Expression and microarray studies are being performed to study the molecular pathways underlying schizophrenia and related phenotypes. Expression profiles of patients and controls are compared in order to identify specific gene networks associated with disease. This study may also involve the use of other species, such as mouse models, allowing us to access brain tissues that are known to be important in disease pathophysiology.
See also
PublicationsPhD thesis: Maartje Aukes, graduation 22 Sept. 2009
Genetics of cognitive endophenotypes in schizophrenia - a family-based study Maartje Aukes performed her PhD research in the Julius Center for Health Science and Primary Care, Rudolf Magnus Institute of Neuroscience, and Department of Psychiatry, UMC Utrecht and collaborated with the Complex Genetics section. She will take up a post in the Julius Center.
Supervisors: Prof. René Kahn, Prof. Margriet Sitskoorn, Dr. Behrooz Alizadeh.
The thesis will be available online shortly via the Univeristy of Utrecht's thesis archive at
Igitur.
Interview with Roel Ophoff on The genetics of schizophrenia, 2 July 2008
"Finding genes associated with schizophrenia, examining the entire genome of hundreds of subjects. That’s the mission of Roel Ophoff, PhD. He was awarded a $3.8 million grant from the United States National Institute of Mental Health for this international endeavour. Ophoff is both assistant professor of human genetics at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and associate professor of medical genetics at the UMC Utrecht. ..."
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