Opinion
Two patients walk into a clinic...a genomics perspective on the future of schizophrenia
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Correspondence: Aiden P Corvin acorvin@tcd.ie
Neuropsychiatric Genetics Research Group, Institute of Molecular Medicine and Department of Psychiatry, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland
BMC Biology 2011, 9:77 doi:10.1186/1741-7007-9-77
Published: 11 November 2011Abstract
Progress is being made in schizophrenia genomics, suggesting that this complex brain disorder involves rare, moderate to high-risk mutations and the cumulative impact of small genetic effects, coupled with environmental factors. The genetic heterogeneity underlying schizophrenia and the overlap with other neurodevelopmental disorders suggest that it will not continue to be viewed as a single disease. This has radical implications for clinical practice, as diagnosis and treatment will be guided by molecular etiology rather than clinical diagnostic criteria.