UK researchers have discovered eight new genes associated with schizophrenia, an advance that will improve the understanding and future treatment development for the severe mental disorder. 

Schizophrenia significantly affects how a person thinks, feels, and behaves. It can cause a range of symptoms, including hallucinations, delusions, disorganised thinking, and changes in behaviour.

In the breakthrough study, scientists at the Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics (CNGG) at Cardiff University focused on detecting rare, high-impact mutations in protein-coding genes that are significantly more common in people with schizophrenia.