Psychiatric genetics - The new era: Genetic research and some clinical implications

Impressive advances in the last decade have been made in the genetics and neuroscience of neuropsychiatric illness. Synergies between complex genetics, elaboration of intermediate phenotypes (Egan et al. (2004) Schizophrenia. London: Blackwell) and novel applications in neuroimaging (Bookheimer et al. (2000) N Engl J Med, 343, 450-456) are revealing the effects of positively associated disease alleles on aspects of neurological function. Genes such as NRG-1, DISC1, RGS4, COMT, PRODH, DTNBP1, G72, DAAO, GRM3 (Harrison and Weinberger (2005) Mol Psychiatry, 10, 40-68) and others have been implicated in schizophrenia along with 5-HTTPR (Ogilvie et al. (1996) Lancet, 347, 731-733; Caspi et al. (2003) Science, 301, 386-389) and BDNF (Geller et al. (2004) Am J Psychiatry, 161, 1698-1700) in affective disorders. As the genetics and complex neurocircuits of these and disorders are being untangled, parallel applications in pharmacogenomics and gene-based drug metabolism are shaping a drive for personalized medicine. Genetic research and pharmacogenomics suggest that the subcategorization of individuals based on various sets of susceptibility alleles will make the treatment of neuropsychiatric and other illnesses more predictable and effective.