Five major psychiatric illneses — autism, ADHD, bipolar disorder, depression, and schizophrenia — seem related to calcium-signaling pathways in the brain, according to a Lancet study.

Researchers performed genome-wide analyses on some 30,000 patients with the disorders and a roughly equal number of controls. They identified four genetic variants — all related to calcium signaling — that were significantly associated with the presence of one of the five disorders.

Commentators, noting the importance of calcium signaling to nerve growth and development, conclude that the results could help identify new targets for psychotropic drugs.

Source: Lancet