Postmortem Brain Studies: Focus on Susceptibility Genes in Schizophrenia

Abstract

The discovery of allelic variations in a number of genes that increase the risk for schizophrenia has led to numerous postmortem brain studies designed to elucidate the underlying mechanisms. This review focuses on seven susceptibility genes (COMT, DTNBP1, GRM3, DISC1, NRG1, GAD1 and RGS4) and several of their molecular interactions. Studies of schizophrenia at this genetic/molecular level offer the hope of improved understanding of etiology/pathophysiology and new targets for treatment.