Centro Medico Genneruxi, via Costantinopoli 42, Cagliari, Italy.
Psychiatry Investig. 2011 Jun;8(2):77-88. doi: 10.4306/pi.2011.8.2.77. Epub 2010 Dec 15.
Patients diagnosed with schizophrenia have reduced fecundity and premature mortality (both accidental and violent) with no obvious compensatory advantages among kin. The prevalence of the disorder is around 0.7/1%, higher than the expected prevalence of spontaneous mutations. Genes favoring schizophrenia may have been positively selected in the environment of evolutionary adaptation. Literature on potential adaptive genes is reviewed within an evolutionary framework.
Literature search on major scientific search engine (PubMed/Medline, Ovid/PsychInfo) on papers aimed at investigating potential pathways justifying a mutation-selection balanced model. Findings are presented with a narrative touch to favor readability and understanding.
Reduced incidence of cancer in both patients diagnosed with schizophrenia and their siblings was reported worldwide. Such findings are notable given higher cancer risk factors in schizophrenia, i.e., smoking, alcohol abuse, obesity, poor diet, and poor adherence to therapy. Some genes involved in cancer proliferation might as well confer protective advantage in immune-surveillance, inflammation, vascular proliferation or apoptosis that otherwise will adversely affect early neurodevelopment.
Evidence that reduced risk of certain somatic diseases is associated with schizophrenia is quite significant to progress in the evolutionary epidemiological analysis of psychopathology.
被诊断患有精神分裂症的患者生育率降低，且存在过早死亡（包括意外和暴力死亡）的现象，其亲属中也没有明显的代偿优势。该疾病的患病率约为 0.7/1%，高于自发突变的预期患病率。有利于精神分裂症的基因可能在进化适应的环境中被积极选择。本文在进化框架内对潜在适应基因进行了文献回顾。
在主要的科学搜索引擎（PubMed/Medline、Ovid/PsychInfo）上搜索旨在调查潜在途径的论文，这些潜在途径可以为突变-选择平衡模型提供依据。研究结果以叙述性的方式呈现，以提高可读性和理解度。
世界各地的研究报告称，被诊断患有精神分裂症的患者及其兄弟姐妹的癌症发病率降低。鉴于精神分裂症存在更高的癌症风险因素，如吸烟、酗酒、肥胖、不良饮食和治疗依从性差，这些发现值得注意。一些参与癌症增殖的基因也可能在免疫监视、炎症、血管增殖或细胞凋亡方面提供保护优势，否则这些因素将对早期神经发育产生不利影响。
与精神分裂症相关的某些躯体疾病风险降低的证据，对精神病理学的进化流行病学分析有重要意义。
