JNS.org – Scientists have discovered a gene prevalent among Ashkenazi Jews that increases the chance of getting schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder and manic depression. The gene raises the likelihood of these mental disorders among Ashkenazi Jews by 40 percent and among the general population by 15 percent.

The study was published in Nature Communications and conducted by Professor Ariel Darvasi, assistant dean of the Faculty of Life Sciences at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and Dr. Todd Lencz from The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research in New York. Twenty-five thousand Ashkenazi Jews contributed DNA samples for the study, Haaretz reported.