WEDNESDAY, Feb. 27 (HealthDay News) -- Autism, attention-
deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), major depression, bipolar
disorder and schizophrenia may all share common genetic risk
factors, a new study says. In this largest study of its kind,
researchers spotted gene variations governing brain function
that may raise the risk for these often devastating mental woes.
In the future, these gene variants might become key targets for
prevention or treatment, the scientists said. "This study, for
the first time, shows that there are specific genetic variants
that influence a range of childhood and adult-onset psychiatric
disorders that we think of as clinically different," said lead
researcher Dr. Jordan Smoller, a professor of psychiatry at
Harvard Medical School in Boston. "We also found that there was
significant overlap in the genetic components of several
disorders, especially schizophrenia with bipolar disorder and
depression, and to a lesser extent autism with schizophrenia and
bipolar disorder," he said.