New AI Approach Predicts Schizophrenia, Opening Doors for Epigenetic Epidemiology

For most of us, when we think of schizophrenia, our minds go back to the movie Sybil starring Sally Field and her multiple personalities. Whether Sybil had the disorder is debatable, but 1% of the world's population diagnosed with schizophrenia suffer from hallucinations, delusion, and cognitive deficits. "Schizophrenia is a devastating disease," said Robert Waterland, PhD, professor of pediatrics-nutrition at Baylor College of Medicine. "Although genetic and environmental components seem to be involved in the condition, current evidence only explains a small portion of cases, suggesting that other factors, such as epigenetic, also could be important." Waterland and his colleagues at the Baylor College of Medicine have now developed an innovative strategy that promises the ability for early diagnosis of schizophrenia.