Psychosis: glia, immunity, and melatonin

Abstract

this, first-degree relatives represent an invaluable population for endophenotype research. In addition, endophenotypeoriented studies of psychiatric disorders are particularly supported by the Research Domains Criteria (RDoC), which has been recently proposed by the National Institute of Mental Health as an alternative to current research approaches.Finally, the study of first-degree relatives also provides an ideal framework for analysis of the risk/resilience diathesis, considering that their genetic background has been shown to lead to a 10-to 20-fold increased risk of developing BD compared with relatives of healthy individuals. Longitudinal assessments of these individuals through the ages of peak risk of illness onset (15-24 and 45-54 years 5 ) are particularly warranted, and should not only allow identification of biomarkers and/or environmental factors associated with resilience to BD, but can also provide predictive measures or pinpoint the most relevant prodromal symptoms for those that will ultimately develop a full-blown psychiatric diagnosis.