Evidence from epidemiology suggests that the incidence of cancer is reduced in those with schizophrenia. Clues that could explain this finding have recently emerged from neuroscience--genes that were previously thought only to be involved in cell cycle regulation have additional functions in post-mitotic neurons related to neuronal migration and synaptic plasticity. This brief communication provides a concise summary of this evidence. We propose that this convergence between epidemiology and neuroscience will provide a more tractable search space for candidate genes, and provide clues for etiopathogenesis of schizophrenia.
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