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Genetic studies of schizophrenia: an update

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Abstract

Schizophrenia (SCZ) is a complex and heterogeneous mental disorder that affects about 1% of global population. In recent years, considerable progress has been made in genetic studies of SCZ. A number of common variants with small effects and rare variants with relatively larger effects have been identified. These variants include risk loci identified by genome-wide association studies, rare copy-number variants identified by comparative genomic analyses, and de novo mutations identified by high-throughput DNA sequencing. Collectively, they contribute to the heterogeneity of the disease. In this review, we update recent discoveries in the field of SCZ genetics, and outline the perspectives of future directions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, 23298, USA

    Jingchun Chen & Xiangning Chen

  2. Department of Neurology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430022, China

    Fei Cao

  3. Department of Psychiatry, Shandong Mental Health Center, Jinan, 250014, China

    Lanfen Liu & Lina Wang

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  1. Jingchun Chen
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  2. Fei Cao
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  3. Lanfen Liu
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  4. Lina Wang
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  5. Xiangning Chen
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Correspondence to Jingchun Chen.

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Chen, J., Cao, F., Liu, L. et al. Genetic studies of schizophrenia: an update. Neurosci. Bull. 31, 87–98 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12264-014-1494-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12264-014-1494-4

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