Ancient DNA Still Present In Human Genome Linked To Major Psychiatric Disorders, Says Study
NDTV
The study is based on the analysis of large studies involving tens of thousands of people, both with and without mental health conditions.
Scientists have found that ancient DNA lingering in humans are responsible for major psychiatric disorders, such as depression, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. About eight per cent of human DNA is made up of sequences called Human Endogenous Retroviruses (HERVs), products of ancient viral infections that occurred hundreds of thousands of years ago. So far, the HERVs were seen as 'junk DNA' with no purpose, but the new study by researchers from King's College London sees them in a new light, offering to revolutionise mental health treatment.
The research has been published in detail in Nature Communications.
It is based on the analysis of large studies involving tens of thousands of people, both with and without mental health conditions. The team combined this with information from autopsy brain samples from 800 people.
