Genes, Brains, and Behavior: Imaging Genetics for Neuropsychiatric Disorders

The majority of neuropsychiatric disorders show a strong degree of heritability, yet little is known about molecular factors involved in the pathophysiology of diseases like schizophrenia. After a brief historical introduction into the current understanding of neuropsychiatric disorders, the aim of this study is to discuss imaging genetics as a strategy to explore the pathophysiology of neuropsychiatric disorders. The candidate gene approach of imaging genetics is used for validation/replication studies of genes, whereas the hypothesis-free, noncandidate gene approach appears to be a tool for gene discovery. Besides, integration of environmental factors into neuroimaging begins to converge on neuroimaging studies of genetic variation. In the light of data from other avenues such as animal experimentation, these developments show a model of interdisciplinary research, which may lead to identifying markers for neuropsychiatric disorders.