BDNF, a neurotrophin critical for neuronal survival, migration, differentiation, and synaptic plasticity (Guo et al., 2010), is regulated by DISC1, a schizophrenia risk gene modulated by HERV-W env through calcium-dependent Transient receptor potential canonical 3(TRPC3) channel activation (Chen et al., 2018). The gene discussed is DISC1; the disease is schizophrenia.