MTOR and schizophrenia: In particular, the candidate causal genes linked with schizophrenia risk in placenta, both in males and in females, are associated with an inhibition of mTOR signaling, which represents a central hub in responding to multiple growth-related signals, including amino acids, glucose, oxygen, folate, and growth factors, to regulate trophoblast mitochondrial respiration, nutrient transport, and protein synthesis, thereby influencing fetal growth74.