The genetics of schizophrenia

Several approaches are being utilized in the search for susceptibility gene s for schizophrenia, Linkage analyses using extended families and affected sibling pairs have suggested several promising loci, including a locus on c hromosome 1 with a potentially large effect on schizophrenia susceptibility , Association studies have examined many novel genes throughout the genome, and a recent report has implicated a novel gene perhaps involved in neurod evelopment, New strategies continue to evolve, such as the analysis of phen otypes that may be more closely linked to the neurobiology of the disorder, as well as the assessment of the variation in antipsychotic drug response, It is hoped that these new strategies, as well as ongoing developments in the rapidly progressing field of genomics, will soon result in the identifi cation of the first susceptibility genes for this disorder. Curr Opin Psych iatry 14:3-7. (C) 2001 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.