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Artistic tendencies linked to 'schizophrenia gene' - health - 16 July 2009 - New Scientist
www.newscientist.com/article/dn17474-artistic-tendencies-linked-to-schizophrenia-gene.html, posted 2009 by peter in art health science toread
We're all familiar with the stereotype of the tortured artist. Salvador Dali's various disorders and Sylvia Plath's depression spring to mind. Now new research seems to show why: a genetic mutation linked to psychosis and schizophrenia also influences creativity.
The finding could help to explain why mutations that increase a person's risk of developing mental illnesses such as schizophrenia and bipolar syndrome have been preserved, even preferred, during human evolution, says Szabolcs Kéri, a researcher at Semmelweis University in Budapest, Hungary, who carried out the study.