Afflicting one percent of the adult population with devastating hallucinations, delusions and social impairment, schizophrenia has long been known to have a genetic component. Ridha Joober, MD, PhD, joined the Douglas Institute Research Centre in 1999 and has since made significant strides in unveiling the pharmaco-genetic basis of schizophrenia and in identifying genes modulating animal behavioral traits relevant to schizophrenia.

As a major research focus, Ridha Joober has compared the genetic make-up and neuropsychological impairments of schizophrenics at opposite ends of the spectrum -- those that respond to neuroleptic treatments and those that fail to respond. In so doing, Ridha Joober has developed a more precise pharmaco-genetic profile of schizophrenia that may ultimately lead to the earlier diagnosis and more effective treatment of this debilitating mental disease.

Ridha has also brought us closer to identifying a gene, or genetic segment, that may be involved in the etiology of schizophrenia or in modifying the disease phenotype with regard to outcome and/or neuroleptic responsiveness. More recently, he extended his studies to other neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).