In a new study, scientists from Forschungszentrum Jülich and Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf (HHU) have demonstrated for the first time that improper protein conformation is linked to the development of certain psychiatric disorders. The investigations focused on the protein called disrupted in schizophrenia 1 (DISC1). A dysfunction of DISC1 has already been observed in disorders such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorders, and severe depressions. The researchers were able to show that DISC1 can give rise to amyloid fibrils that have noticeable similarities with fibrils found in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. The study was published in the journal Translational Psychiatry.