Psychiatric Diseases
Psychiatric diseases (described in the moods category in the brain section) commonly have a strong genetic basis, though some less so than others. There is some evidence that changes in the protein responsible for responding to transmitter serotonin may be linked to the development of depression and anxiety states, similarly there is thought to be significant genetic contribution to the possibility of developing schizophrenia and manic-depressive psychosis. The diseases, however, are such that it is difficult to separate out environmental and genetic factors (are you schizophrenic because your parents were schizophrenic, or because living with schizophrenics made you schizophrenic?) Many cases of mental retardation have a genetic basis, as does the premature development of Alzheimer’s disease (before the age of 50).
|
