Boston and Cambridge, Mass. — A multinational group of investigators has discovered that people suffering from schizophrenia are far more likely to carry rare chromosomal structural changes of all types, particularly those that have the potential to alter gene function. In addition, the study uncovered two new specific genomic areas that, when altered, significantly increase the risk of developing the disease. The report from the International Schizophrenia Consortium, the largest and most complete such study to date, is being published online today by the journal Nature.