On Wednesday, the online issue of the journal Nature featured information on recent scientific discoveries regarding the identification of three genetic hot spots in which the deletion of considerable portions of DNA seems to be leading to a very significant increase of a child’s chances to eventually develop schizophrenia.

Within the study, a huge amount of data has been put together, gathered from more than 3,000 schizophrenia suffering patients. This was the most comprehensive study of this sort that has ever been published.

Michael O'Donovan, a professor at Cardiff University in Wales and also lead author of a somewhat related paper in the journal Nature Genetics, said this recently found information represents the "first rock-solid foundation knowledge" of what may actually be the cause of schizophrenia.

Deborah Levy, a researcher in schizophrenia genetics at McLean Hospital in Belmont, considers the new findings to be "the tip of the iceberg." They uncover a previously unsuspected genetic mechanism which is in fact strongly connected to schizophrenia development. Another thing they show is that, in many cases, such genetic events happen spontaneously, instead of being inherited, as some used to think.

Schizophrenia has been a major area of interest in the US and worldwide for that matter. There are currently at least two million US residents being affected by the condition. People usually begin presenting the symptoms while they are still young adults; these symptoms include hallucinations and thinking problems.

Dr. Kari Stefansson, senior author of one of the Nature papers and CEO of deCODE in Reykjavik, Iceland, described schizophrenia as being "the ultimate human disease," as it affects the very things which make up one’s individuality.