Scientists from Peking University Sixth Hospital and the Institute of Mental Health at Peking University have identified hundreds of genes that may increase the risk of developing psychiatric and neurological disorders. The findings were published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry.

According to the authors, the study helps to better understand the cellular mechanisms of conditions such as schizophrenia, depression, and autism.

The researchers analyzed large genetic databases of patients with six neuropsychiatric disorders: schizophrenia, Parkinson’s disease, bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder, ADHD, and autism spectrum disorders.

Unlike many previous studies, the scientists aimed not only to identify which genes are associated with these diseases, but also to determine in which types of brain and immune system cells they are active. To do this, they used single-cell genetic variation analysis methods and Mendelian randomization technology.

As a result, the researchers identified 345 risk genes linked to different cell types. Some of them had already been associated with psychiatric disorders — for example, MAPT and FLOT1. However, new potentially important links were also found, including the APTX gene in microglia — immune cells of the brain — in schizophrenia.

One of the key findings is that many mental disorders share common biological mechanisms. The study revealed overlaps in disruptions of synapses — the connections between neurons — and the immune system. This supports an increasingly popular hypothesis in science that inflammatory processes and immune dysregulation may play an important role in the development of psychiatric disorders.

The researchers also found that risk genes identified directly in brain tissue show much stronger “cellular specialization” than similar signals found in blood. In other words, genetic abnormalities in the central nervous system are closely linked to specific types of brain cells.

The authors emphasize that the work does not yet provide direct treatment methods, but it opens the way toward more precise “cellular psychiatry.” In the future, this could lead to drugs that target not the brain as a whole, but specific cells and mechanisms that play a key role in particular disorders.