A Possible Genetic Factor Related to Psychosis
WILLIAM POLLIN M.D.1
1 Chief, Section on Twin and Sibling Studies, Adult Psychiatry Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, Md. 20014
Recent studies of schizophrenia in large twin cohorts have indicated that there is probably a genetically determined biological mechanism that predisposes one to the illness, though environmental factors also play a major pathogenic role. Data from this study of monozygotic twins discordant for schizophrenia suggest that some abnormality of catecholamine metabolism may be related to this genetic predisposition. The urinary excretion levels of most catecholamines were higher than normal in both members of these discordant pairs and showed significant intraclass correlation, which strongly suggests the possibility of genetic control. Levels of 17-OH steroids, however, were higher than normal only in the schizophrenic members of the pairs. Taken together, these findings and other data in the literature suggest that hyperactivity at some level of catecholamine metabolism may play a role in the pathogenesis of both schizophrenic and other psychoses.
