Irish researchers have helped identify a rare risk factor which makes people more prone to mental illnesses such as schizophrenia.

Professor Sanbing Shen of the Regenerative Medicine Institute (REMEDI) at NUI Galway has led a multi-centre study that has identified for the first time observed changes in a little known gene called ULK4 in people with schizophrenia.

The researchers have also Shen and colleagues have also identified how ULK4 functions in the brain.

It has been discovered that when levels of ULK4 are decreased, brain cells tend to function less well, leading to reduced synaptic function and other changes which are also known as risk factors of schizophrenia.

Schizophrenia is a disorder which although many genetic risk factors have been identified, no effective treatment is available.

The scientists were also able to show that ULK4 is essential for the formation of the nerve fibres which connect the two sides of our brains. The research not only demonstrates that ULK4 dysfunction is a risk factor for schizophrenia, but also that ULK4 plays an essential role in proper brain formation.

The findings, published in the Journal of Cell Science, were supported by genetic data provided by the International Schizophrenia Consortium, and were confirmed using new data generated from other mental illness groups with conditions such as autism, major depression, and bipolar disorder.

According to the Galway researchers, follow-up studies now underway in NUI Galway will lead to a better understanding of schizophrenia and how drugs may be developed to target ULK4 for the treatment of mental illness.

The research was funded by Science Foundation Ireland, NUI Galway, Cunningham Trust, Scottish Universities Life Sciences Alliance, Medical Research Scotland and the University of Aberdeen.