Chromosome Studies in Schizophrenia

Abstract

WITHIN THE PAST THREE YEARS the cause of an increasing number of clinical disorders has been elucidated by the study of human chromosomes. Several types of chromosomal abnormalities have been found to occur more frequently in individuals with mental deficiency than in the general population. Since it has been suggested that in certain forms of mental illness there is an underlying genetic defect, and since this group of disorders occupies such a significant portion of the catalog of human diseases, it seemed worthwhile to investigate the possibility that chromosomal anomalies play an important role in specific types of psychosis. Therefore, a small-scale project was undertaken to examine the chromosomes of patients with well-diagnosed and uncomplicated chronic schizophrenia. Chromosome Studies Initially, ten adult schizophrenic patients (five men and five women) were chosen for chromosomal analysis from the Ypsilanti State Hospital, Ypsilanti, Mich. All were non-Jewish Caucasians, since they had been