"This work reveals how the genetic risk for psychiatric illnesses is organised in the human brain and relates to structural brain alterations observed in neuroimaging," explains Daniel Martins, professor and researcher in the field of Neurosciences, quoted in a FMUP press release sent to newsrooms on Monday.
The researchers used an innovative method that integrates large-scale genetic data and neuroimaging to analyse seven psychiatric illnesses, including depression, schizophrenia, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism and obsessive-compulsive disorder.
The aim, says the researcher, was "to understand why certain brain regions are more vulnerable in each of the psychiatric illnesses".
Although these diseases have multiple causes that result from the interaction between genetic, environmental and neurodevelopmental factors, traditional approaches tend to analyse genetic susceptibility and neuroanatomical alterations separately.
The new study therefore makes it possible to "project the impact of genetic risk in the brain space, based on risk maps derived from gene expression. This approach establishes a direct bridge between genes, molecular processes and anatomical changes observed by magnetic resonance imaging," explains Daniel Martiins.
"The structural changes in the brain observed in some psychiatric illnesses are not random, but partly reflect the molecular organisation of the brain itself. In major depression and schizophrenia, for example, there is a clear correspondence between gene expression patterns associated with genetic risk and the brain regions most affected," he adds.
According to the FMUP professor, the results also indicate that different psychiatric illnesses seem to involve different biological mechanisms. "While depression and schizophrenia show strong involvement of immune and inflammatory pathways, ADHD is more associated with neurodevelopmental processes."
The researcher argues that this approach is not reductionist and that "genes do not determine disease in isolation, but interact with environmental factors, development and experience throughout life".
Published in the scientific journal Molecular Psychiatry, from the Nature group, the study also involved researchers from King's College London (UK), Goethe University (Germany) and the University of Padova (Italy).
An article written by Joana Bénard da Costa - RTP, initially published on 18 May 2026 at 12:38 (CEST)