London - A study has found that the relatives of patients with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder are more likely than the general public to be creative professionals such as actors, dancers, musicians, visual artists or writers.
The researchers cannot be sure whether the link is due to the shared genes or a shared upbringing and environment.
But they suggested it could be explained by similarities in the way the brain works in creative people and in patients with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.
A previous analysis of the genomes of 86 000 Icelanders identified genetic traits that doubled the risk of schizophrenia and increased the chances of bipolar disorder by more than a third.
The research, published in Nature Neuroscience, looked for the same DNA variations in 1 000 members of Icelandic national societies representing visual artists, actors, dancers, musicians and writers. It found that they were 17 percent more likely to carry the same genetic variants.
The scientists compared their findings with four studies in Holland and Sweden. This revealed that members of the creative professions were 25 percent more likely to carry the DNA variants.
The Independent