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Dr. Perlis added, "More broadly, our findings highlight the importance of looking beyond neurons to understand risk genes. While finding risk loci may be the first step in understanding the role of genes in brain diseases, it's only a first step; figuring out the relevant cell type, and what those genes are doing, is absolutely critical in moving from association to -- we hope -- actual treatments."

In the second study, researchers led by Roy H. Perlis, PhD, at Harvard Medical School, focused on a particular genetic risk locus.

Dr. Perlis and colleagues collected blood cells from healthy volunteers and isolated iPSCs, which they then manipulated to differentiate into microglia-like cells.

Dr. Perlis said of the work, "Our findings suggest that changes in the behavior and function of microglia due to aberrant CYFIP1 function, such as through coding or copy number variants, could affect microglial processes such as synaptic pruning, homeostatic surveillance, and neuronal maintenance, which are critical for proper brain development and function. This could contribute to CYFIP1-related neurodevelopmental and psychiatric disorders resulting in part from microglia dysfunction. Among the specific disorders linked to variation in CYFIP1 are both autism and schizophrenia."

The four men were escorted Friday by armed police to a lower court in Perlis where they were charged with human trafficking, which carries up to 15 years imprisonment upon conviction, local media reported.