epigenetic markers of schizophrenia, the researchers note.
“Our study is innovative in various ways,” study first author and a computer scientist in the Waterland lab Chathura Gunasekara, says.
“We focused on CoRSIVs and also applied for the first time the… machine-learning algorithm to analyze DNA methylation. As a scientist interested in applying machine learning to medicine, our findings are very exciting,” Gunasekara explains. “They not only suggest the possibility of predicting risk of schizophrenia early in life, but also outline a new approach that may be applicable to other diseases.”
The study was also unique in that it accounted for major factors that can affect methylation patterns in blood, such as smoking and taking antipsychotic medications.
Both are common in schizophrenia patients.
The finding “indicates that the epigenetic differences we identified between schizophrenia patients and healthy individuals were there before the disease was diagnosed, suggesting they may contribute to the condition,” Waterland adds.
READ: How to Help a Partner With Schizophrenia
Helping someone with schizophrenia
People with schizophrenia often lack awareness that they may have a mental disorder that requires medical attention so it is important that those around them recognize the symptoms of schizophrenia and encourage them to get help if they are exhibiting an alarming change in behavior.