“Our current findings indicate that GRIN2A is the first known gene that, on its own, can cause a mental illness,” says<\/a> co-lead author Johannes Lemke, a geneticist from Leipzig University in Germany.<\/p>\n Related: Common Acne Medication Linked With 30% Lower Schizophrenia Risk<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Mental health disorders, like major depression<\/a> or schizophrenia, are generally thought<\/a> to be influenced by hundreds or even thousands of interacting genetic variants<\/a>. But perhaps that assumption isn’t always true.<\/p>\n Recently, strong evidence<\/a> has found that changes to the GRIN2A gene are associated with early-onset schizophrenia<\/a> in childhood or early adolescence, sooner than the disorder typically presents.<\/p>\n Using a registry of the world’s largest cohort of GRIN2A patients, the researchers led an international investigation into the effects of mutations in GRIN2A.<\/p>\n Among 121 individuals with likely disease-causing variants in the GRIN2A gene, the team found that 25 had a diagnosed mental disorder, including mood, anxiety, psychotic, personality, or eating disorders<\/a>.<\/p>\n All but two of these individuals carried the “null” variant of GRIN2A, suggesting it was non-functional.<\/p>\n “We were able to show that certain variants of this gene are associated not only with schizophrenia but also with other mental illnesses,” says<\/a> Lemke.<\/p>\n “What is striking is that, in the context of a GRIN2A alteration, these disorders already appear in childhood or adolescence \u2013 in contrast to the more typical manifestation in adulthood.”<\/p>\n What’s more, while genetic mutations<\/a> in the GRIN2A gene are typically associated with neurodevelopmental disorders, like epilepsy<\/a> or intellectual disability, some of these participants showed only psychiatric symptoms.<\/p>\n This suggests that the GRIN2A change can drive isolated mental health disorders early in life without other neurodevelopmental issues.<\/p>\n “Genetic testing should be considered in the diagnostic work-up of affected individuals to improve diagnosis and potentially offer personalized treatment,” the authors conclude<\/a>.<\/p>\n GRIN2A encodes part of a glutamate receptor<\/a> in the brain, which are involved in excitatory brain activity. Dysfunction of these receptors is closely associated with epilepsy and schizophrenia.<\/p>\n Four individuals in the current study had been treated in the past with L-serine, an amino acid that activates these glutamate receptors to help reduce seizures<\/a>. Interestingly, all four participants experienced positive improvements to their mental health disorder after treatment.<\/p>\n One individual stopped experiencing hallucinations. Another showed improvements in their behavioral disorder. The remaining two showed remission from paranoid symptoms and a reduction in seizure frequency.<\/p>\n The small sample size limits the study, but it suggests that not all psychiatric disorders<\/a> arise from numerous interacting genetic variants. Instead, some conditions could be precisely treated based on their genetic differences.<\/p>\n How exactly the GRIN2A gene may drive these disorders is another matter that needs further investigation.<\/p>\n![\"DNA](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/DNA-under-magnifying-glass-colorful-642x361.jpg\")
Among 121 individuals with likely disease-causing variants in the GRIN2A gene, 25 had a diagnosed mental disorder. (ktsimage\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n![\"Subscribe](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Generic-Health-Promo-Final-642x273.jpg\")
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