Are There Schizophrenia Genetic Markers and Mutations? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses

Background: Schizophrenia is a severe psychiatric disorder with a complex genetic factor determining its disease onset. Nevertheless, it is not clear in this mental disorder. Objective: To conduct a systematic review of articles regarding the genetic markers and mutations in schizophrenia. Methods: A systematic review of articles on genetic markers and mutations in schizophrenia, published from January 1, 2011, to September 7, 2015, on SCOPUS database was carried out. Search terms were “Genetic markers”, “Mutation”, and “Schizophrenia”. Results: Of the 527 retrieved studies, 31 met the eligibility criteria. Genetic polymorphism, Immune-associated genes, TCF4 and ZNF804A association with microRNA, Neuregulin gene, Chromosome 13q32 and 11p15.4, genes involved in glutamatergic via schizophrenia and brain structure, appeared to be associated with the origin of schizophrenia. Conclusion: Some studies show genes involved in several pathways leading to the disease pathogenesis such as that one related with the dopaminergic and immune system, or rare alleles. Some genes present no involvement in the etiology of this mental disorder. These findings clarify the genetic complexity of schizophrenia and affirm that together, the genes have an overall effect greater than the sum of the individual effect of each gene.