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Viruses, Immunity, and Mental Disorders pp 125–134Cite as

Genes and Viruses in Schizophrenia

The Retrovirus/Transposon Hypothesis

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Abstract

Discussions of the etiology of schizophrenia cannot avoid the question of a genetic contribution. Such a component is suggested by twin (see Gottesman, 1978) and adoption (Heston, 1966; Karlsson, 1970a, Kety et al., 1978) study evidence. Although there are still some dissenters (see, e.g., Lidz et al., 1981; Pope et al., 1982; Lidz and Blatt, 1983; Abrams and Taylor, 1983), the adoption studies establish at least that there is a genetic influence. However, the nature of this component remains obscure. Problems for a “pure” genetic hypothesis are the extent of discordance in monozygotic twins (the highest figure reported in the recent studies reviewed by Gottesman is 58%), the fact that the onset often occurs after some years of normal function, and that the disease is associated with a fertility disadvantage but retains a high prevalence. These considerations encourage the search for environmental as well as genetic contributions to etiology.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Psychiatry, Clinical Research Centre, Northwick Park Hospital, Harrow, Middlesex, HA1 3UJ, England

    Timothy J. Crow

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  1. Timothy J. Crow
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Medicine, University of Montreal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada

    Edouard Kurstak (Director) (Director)

  2. International Comparative Virology Organization, Montreal, Canada

    Edouard Kurstak (Director) (Director)

  3. Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

    Z. J. Lipowski (Professor of Psychiatry) (Professor of Psychiatry)

  4. Clarke Institute of Psychiatry, Toronto, Canada

    Z. J. Lipowski (Professor of Psychiatry) (Professor of Psychiatry)

  5. World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland

    P. V. Morozov

  6. Academy of Medical Sciences of the USSR, Moscow, USSR

    P. V. Morozov

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© 1987 Springer Science+Business Media New York

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Crow, T.J. (1987). Genes and Viruses in Schizophrenia. In: Kurstak, E., Lipowski, Z.J., Morozov, P.V. (eds) Viruses, Immunity, and Mental Disorders. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-1799-9_10

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-1799-9_10

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