Research Advances in Genetics and Genomics: Implications for Psychiatry

Research Advances in Genetics and Genomics: Implications for Psychiatry
introduces mental health professionals to exciting breakthroughs in
endophenotypes, animal models, microarrays, and genetic mapping, as well as
general strategies for identifying the genetic mechanisms of mental
illnesses.

Uniquely valuable both as summary and signpost, this concise
volume provides a fascinating overview of recent cutting-edge developments in
the application of molecular genetics, genomics, and proteomics to the study of
psychiatric populations.

By reading Research Advances in Genetics and
Genomics, you will gain a better understanding of Psychiatric Genetics-Reviews
and assesses the major research paradigms that have emerged in the field of
psychiatric genetics over the several past decades, exploring the major
conceptual and philosophical issues they pose and the value of their
integration. Molecular Structure of Nucleic Acids-An overview of the
double-helix discovery and provides a context for current endeavors, the
original one-page April 1953 Nature paper by Watson and Crick, which sparked a
revolution in the life sciences. Psychiatry in the Genomics Era-Posits that one
of the most important consequences of genomics will be the development of
individualized treatments that allow a clinician to tailor therapy on the basis
of the unique genotype of each patient rather than on the mean responses of
groups of unrelated patients. The Genomics Revolution-Details the implications
of the genome for future medical practice, including the potential for
developing methods and tools to better understand, treat, and prevent major
mental disorders. The Endophenotype Concept in Psychiatry-Explains the
etymology and strategy behind the use of endophenotypes in neuropsychiatric
research and, more generally, in research on other diseases with complex
genetics, such as schizophrenia. The Genes and Brains of Mice and Men-Shows why
a detailed assessment of brain function in mice is so important for advancing
psychiatric research in humans. Humans and mice share numerous features-in fact,
for an estimated 99% of human genes a mouse version may be identified-of brain
organization and behavioral responses to many pharmacological agents.
Microarray Technology-Asserts that microarrays present a methodology for
identifying genes or pathways for new and unique potential drug targets,
determining premorbid diagnosis, predicting drug responsiveness for individual
patients, and, eventually, initiating gene therapy and prevention strategies.

Meticulously referenced, this volume is exceptionally useful as a
starting point for understanding the impact of genetics and genomics on
psychiatry, serving to introduce psychiatrists, psychologists, neurologists, and
geneticists to this exciting field.