Is schizophrenia a ciliopathy?

Schizophrenia is a complex, chronic illness that can affect up to 1% of the population. Symptoms include hallucinations, personality disorders, distorted perception of reality, etc. The symptoms of the disease are caused by errors in the interaction of nerve cells. Schizophrenia is caused by environmental factors and genetic changes. Our research suggests that a number of schizophrenic genes are controlled by a special class of control genes, which in turn are normally important for the function of the cell's antenna, known as cilia. Cilia are found on neurons, where they are important for receiving signals from the environment. Being able to discern a link between the function of the cell antenna and the onset of schizophrenia is of great interest. We can then directly clarify the molecular mechanisms behind the disease and how they (cilia) affect the function of neurons. We use human neurons that have such an antenna, a cilium. We change the function of the schizophrenic genes and cilia and observe the effect directly in the cells. To see how schizophrenic genes affect the interaction of neurons, we use a mask as a model where the nervous system and all the connections between cells are mapped. The same principles apply to the mask and the human nervous system. In the mask, we can genetically alter individual neurons, detecting changes in their connections and activity. Our results can be used in the future to test the impact of different drugs and therapies on neuronal function.