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The genetics of schizophrenia

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Abstract

Behavioral genetic studies provide overwhelming evidence that genes contribute to schizophrenia. Recently, genetic studies have provided promising evidence that schizophrenia genes are linked to several chromosomal locations in affected family members. Despite this progress, individual genes for schizophrenia have yet to be identified. Future progress will depend, in part, on the selection of phenotypes that best reflect effects of etiologic genes. One such phenotype is schizotaxia, a clinically meaningful syndrome that reflects the genetic liability to schizophrenia in nonpsychotic individuals. The potential importance of schizotaxia, or similar concepts, for use in genetic studies, is discussed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Harvard Medical School Department of Psychiatry at the Massachusetts Mental Health Center, 74 Fenwood Road, 02115, Boston, MA, USA

    Ming T. Tsuang MD, PhD, DSc, FRCPsych, William S. Stone PhD & Stephen V. Faraone PhD

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  1. Ming T. Tsuang MD, PhD, DSc, FRCPsych
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  2. William S. Stone PhD
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  3. Stephen V. Faraone PhD
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Tsuang, M.T., Stone, W.S. & Faraone, S.V. The genetics of schizophrenia. Curr Psychiatry Rep 1, 20–24 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11920-999-0006-0

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