Principles of Psychiatric Genetics

Disorders of behavior represent some of the most common and disabling diseases affecting humankind; however, despite their worldwide distribution, genetic influences on these illnesses are often overlooked by families and mental health professionals. Psychiatric genetics is a rapidly advancing field, elucidating the varied roles of specific genes and their interactions in brain development and dysregulation. Principles of Psychiatric Genetics includes 22 disorder-based chapters covering, amongst other conditions, schizophrenia, mood disorders, anxiety disorders, Alzheimer's disease, learning and developmental disorders, eating disorders and personality disorders. Supporting chapters focus on issues of genetic epidemiology, molecular and statistical methods, pharmacogenetics, epigenetics, gene expression studies, online genetic databases and ethical issues. Written by an international team of contributors, and fully updated with the latest results from genome-wide association studies, this comprehensive text is an indispensable reference for psychiatrists, neurologists, psychologists and anyone involved in psychiatric genetic studies.

Preface; 1. Contribution of genetic epidemiology to our understanding of psychiatric disorders Kathleen Reis Merikangas and Anibal Cravchik; 2. A basic overview of contemporary human genetic analysis strategies Ondrej Libiger and Nicholas J. Schork; 3. In silico analysis strategies and resources for psychiatric genetics research Ali Torkamani, Trygve Bakken and Nicholas J. Schork; 4. Gene expression studies in psychiatric disorders Alexander B. Niculescu; 5. Pharmacogenetics in psychiatry Falk W. Lohoff; 6. Functional validation of candidate genetic susceptibility factors for major mental illnesses: from protein chemistry, cell biology, animal study, to human brain imaging Akira Sawa, Wanli W. Smith, Saurav Seshadri, Akiko Hayashi-Takagi, Hanna Jaaro-Peled and Atsushi Kamiya; 7. Epigenetic mechanisms in drug addiction and depression William Renthal and Eric J. Nestler; 8. Panic disorder Ardesheer Talati and Myrna M. Weissman; 9. The genetics of phobic disorders and generalized anxiety disorder Raymond R. Crowe; 10. Genetic contributions to obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and OCD-related disorders Dennis L. Murphy, Pablo R. Moya, Jens R. Wendland and Kiara Timpano; 11. Post-traumatic stress disorder Michael J. Lyons, Tyler Zink and Karestan C. Koenen; 12. Antisocial behavior: gene environment interplay Laura A. Baker, Catherine Tuvblad, Serena Bedzjian and Adrian Raine; 13. Learning disabilities Shelley D. Smith; 14. Autism and autism spectrum disorders Daniel H. Geschwind and Maricela Alarcon; 15. Genetics of major depression James B. Potash; 16. The genetics of anorexia and bulimia nervosa Andrew W. Bergen, Jennifer Wessel and Walter H. Kaye; 17. Genetics and common human obesity R. Arlen Price; 18. Alcoholism Howard J. Edenberg; 19. Nicotine dependence Sarah Hartz and Laura Bierut; 20. Genetics of stimulant dependence Joseph F. Cubells and Yi-Lang Tang; 21. Genetics of personality disorders C. Robert Cloninger; 22. Ethical issues in behavioral genetics Stephen H. Dinwiddie, Jinger Hoop and Elliot Gershon; 23. Genetics of Tourette syndrome and related disorders Maria G. Motlagh, Thomas V. Fernandez and James F. Leckman; 24. Endophenotypes Bernice Porjesz; 25. Developmental disorders Craig A. Erickson, Khendra I. Peay and Christopher J. McDougle; Index.

John I. Nurnberger, Jr, M.D., Ph.D., is Joyce and Iver Small Professor of Psychiatry and Director of the Institute of Psychiatric Research, Department of Psychiatry, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA.
Wade H. Berretini M.D., Ph.D., is Karl E. Rickels Professor of Psychiatry and Director, Center for Neurobiology and Behavior, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA.