--- title: "Psych News Alert: Psychiatric Geneticists Find Common Pathway Contributes to Multiple Disorders" description: In a study published in the Lancet, the Cross-Disorder Group of the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium, supported by the National Institute of ... image: https://alert.psychnews.org/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/dna_58224664-Jun-24-2025-06-09-21-5354-PM.jpg --- 3/1/13 12:00 AM # Psychiatric Geneticists Find Common Pathway Contributes to Multiple Disorders ![Picture of Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Psych%20News%20Email%20Banners/PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png?width=50&name=PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png) [ Psychiatric News Alert ](https://alert.psychnews.org/author/psychiatric-news-alert) Share: [facebook-f icon ](http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https://alert.psychnews.org/2013/03/psychiatric-geneticists-find-common.html) [linkedin-in icon ](http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https://alert.psychnews.org/2013/03/psychiatric-geneticists-find-common.html) [Twitter icon ](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https://alert.psychnews.org/2013/03/psychiatric-geneticists-find-common.html) [pinterest-p icon ](http://pinterest.com/pin/create/link/?url=https://alert.psychnews.org/2013/03/psychiatric-geneticists-find-common.html) [envelope icon ](mailto:?body=https://alert.psychnews.org/2013/03/psychiatric-geneticists-find-common.html) [![](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/dna_58224664-Jun-24-2025-06-09-20-6671-PM.jpg?width=200&height=200&name=dna_58224664-Jun-24-2025-06-09-20-6671-PM.jpg)](https://alert.psychnews.org/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/dna_58224664-Jun-24-2025-06-09-19-6803-PM.jpg) In a study published in the Lancet, the Cross-Disorder Group of the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium, supported by the National Institute of Mental Health, has performed a genomewide single-nucleotide-polymorphism (SNP) data analysis seeking to identify specific variants underlying genetic effects shared between the following five disorders: autism spectrum disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder, and schizophrenia. Their study is the largest to date and the first to provide evidence that specific SNPs are significantly associated with a range of psychiatric disorders. In particular, they pointed to the effects of voltage-gated calcium channels on such disorders: "Our results implicate a specific biological pathway—voltage-gated calcium-channel signaling—as a contributor to the pathogenesis of several psychiatric disorders and support the potential of this pathway as a therapeutic target for psychiatric disease." "These important findings indicate that fundamental alterations in brain development and biology can confer vulnerability to various types of mental disorders....," Jeffrey Lieberman, M.D., president-elect of APA told *Psychiatric News*." Overall, the study provides an important new clue about the etiology and pathogenesis of mental disorders."  APA President Dilip Jeste, M.D., also commented: "Research of this type would help in the development of future diagnostic systems in psychiatry that are based on validated biomarkers...this important study is one step in that direction." (Image: Chepko Danich Vitalevich/Shutterstock.com) ## Related posts [![](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/counselor_therapist_iStock-1133657937-Jun-24-2025-03-33-59-7459-PM.jpg?height=200&name=counselor_therapist_iStock-1133657937-Jun-24-2025-03-33-59-7459-PM.jpg) ](https://alert.psychnews.org/2023/04/psychiatrists-outline-ethical.html) [Psychiatric Services](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/psychiatric-services), [psychedelics](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/psychedelics), [equity](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/equity), [Charles Dike](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/charles-dike), [patient vulnerabilty](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/patient-vulnerabilty), [informed consent](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/informed-consent), [ethical considerations](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/ethical-considerations), [Gregory Barber](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/gregory-barber), [access](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/access), [off-label use](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/off-label-use) ## [Psychiatrists Outline Ethical Considerations Related to Psychedelics](https://alert.psychnews.org/2023/04/psychiatrists-outline-ethical.html) ![Picture of Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Psych%20News%20Email%20Banners/PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png?width=50&name=PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png) [Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/author/psychiatric-news-alert) 4/5/23 12:00 AM [ Read more ](https://alert.psychnews.org/2023/04/psychiatrists-outline-ethical.html) [![](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/pregnant-iStock-1349410969-Jun-24-2025-10-44-40-7349-PM.jpg?height=200&name=pregnant-iStock-1349410969-Jun-24-2025-10-44-40-7349-PM.jpg) ](https://alert.psychnews.org/2023/02/psychiatrists-describe-what-abortion.html) [Paul Appelbaum](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/paul-appelbaum), [abortion](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/abortion), [mental illness](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/mental-illness), [JAMA Psychiatry](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/jama-psychiatry), [unwanted pregnancy](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/unwanted-pregnancy), [Katherine Wisner](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/katherine-wisner), [Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/dobbs-v-jackson-womens-health-organization), [Roe v Wade](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/roe-v-wade) ## [Psychiatrists Describe What Abortion Restriction Could Mean for People With Psychiatric Disorders](https://alert.psychnews.org/2023/02/psychiatrists-describe-what-abortion.html) ![Picture of Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Psych%20News%20Email%20Banners/PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png?width=50&name=PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png) [Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/author/psychiatric-news-alert) 2/9/23 12:00 AM [ Read more ](https://alert.psychnews.org/2023/02/psychiatrists-describe-what-abortion.html) [![](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/patient_therapist_iStock-1195682934-Jun-24-2025-06-40-02-5979-PM.jpg?height=200&name=patient_therapist_iStock-1195682934-Jun-24-2025-06-40-02-5979-PM.jpg) ](https://alert.psychnews.org/2024/04/psychedelic-use-in-psychiatry-requires.html) [Rebecca Brendel](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/rebecca-brendel), [JAMA Psychiatry](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/jama-psychiatry), [psychedelics](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/psychedelics), [ethics](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/ethics), [informed consent](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/informed-consent) ## [Psychedelic Use in Psychiatry Requires Complex Informed Consent, Experts Say](https://alert.psychnews.org/2024/04/psychedelic-use-in-psychiatry-requires.html) ![Picture of Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Psych%20News%20Email%20Banners/PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png?width=50&name=PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png) [Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/author/psychiatric-news-alert) 4/12/24 12:00 AM [ Read more ](https://alert.psychnews.org/2024/04/psychedelic-use-in-psychiatry-requires.html) ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Psychiatric News Alert", "url" : "https://alert.psychnews.org/author/psychiatric-news-alert" }, "dateModified" : "2025-06-24T18:13:20.739Z", "datePublished" : "2013-03-01T05:00:00.000Z", "headline" : "Psych News Alert: Psychiatric Geneticists Find Common Pathway Contributes to Multiple Disorders", "image" : [ "https://alert.psychnews.org/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/dna_58224664-Jun-24-2025-06-09-21-5354-PM.jpg" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://alert.psychnews.org/2013/03/psychiatric-geneticists-find-common.html", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://alert.psychnews.org/hubfs/PN-Blue-Box.jpg" } } } ```