Genetic susceptibility to a deficit in context processing across the schizophrenia / bipolar disorder diagnostic divide.

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Schizophrenia and bipolar disorder are debilitating mental illnesses which affect around 2% of the population. Research suggests that deficits in higher mental processes (cognition) are common to schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Several genes that increase risk for schizophrenia also increase risk for bipolar disorder. These findings reflect clinical experience where many patients present with symptoms of both disorders and suggest it may be more productive to study people with symptoms of both disorders rather than separately as is the tendency in current research.This project, conducted by a research psychiatrist, aims to examine a facet of cognition, context processing; the ability to notice the setting in which an event occurs. Using a novel test context processing will be investigated in people with symptoms of both schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Two risk genes for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder will be investigated to see it they predict performance on the test.If people with schizophrenia AND bipolar disorder show this cognitive deficit and the risk genes increase the chances of showing such deficits this will have implications for the classification of these mental disorders as well as informing research into the causes and potential treatment of these deficits in severe mental illness.