by A groundbreaking study led by researchers at King’s College London has revealed that remnants of ancient viral infections in our genome, known as Human Endogenous Retroviruses (HERVs), are actively expressed in the brain and may contribute to the development of major psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and depression.
Approximately 8% of the human genome consists of HERVs, which are the remnants of ancient viral infections that occurred hundreds of thousands of years ago. Previously, these fossil viruses were considered insignificant, believed to serve no purpose in the body. However, recent advancements in genomics research have enabled scientists to pinpoint their locations within the DNA, shedding light on their potential functions.
This new study is the first to demonstrate that a specific set of HERVs expressed in the human brain plays a role in susceptibility to psychiatric disorders. The researchers used a novel and robust approach to assess the relationship between genetic susceptibility and the expression of ancient viral sequences in the modern human genome. Their findings suggest that these viral sequences may have a more significant role in the human brain than previously thought, with distinct HERV expression profiles being linked to an increased susceptibility for certain Psychiatric Disorders.
Dr. Timothy Powell, co-senior author of the study and a Senior Lecturer at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN), King’s College London, commented, “This study represents a significant step forward in understanding the complex genetic components that contribute to psychiatric disorders. Our results indicate that these viral sequences may play a more active role in the human brain than previously believed, and further research is needed to fully understand their impact on brain function and disease development.”
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1. Source: Coherent Market Insights, Public sources, Desk research.
2. We have leveraged AI tools to mine information and compile it.
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