Important new findings on the genetics of schizophrenia have just been published in the world’s leading scientific journal, Nature, under the auspices of the International Schizophrenia Consortium, which involves 74 scientists across Europe, USA and Australia.

Prof. Waddington said: “Accumulation of the large number of subjects necessary for such studies [here, 3,391 patients and 3,181 controls] is achieved most readily by collaboration between individual research groups who pool their resources."

He added: "The findings indicate that individuals with schizophrenia have a greater burden of structural variation among their genes. Further work will be needed to understand how these genetic variations result in abnormal brain cells, psychiatric symptoms and functional impairment.”