Ancient Viral DNA in the Human Genome Linked to Major Psychiatric Disorders
24th May 2024
“Linked to” in news stories means “there is a strong correlation but we can’t really say that there’s a causal link without being called out for it, but we’re going to write as if there actually was a causal link because otherwise we wouldn’t be able to stir people up and get more clicks”.
New research led by King’s College London has found that thousands of DNA sequences originating from ancient viral infections are expressed in the brain, with some contributing to susceptibility for psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and depression.