Genetic mapping approaches in neuropsychiatry

Our understanding of the pathophysiology of the majority of common psychiatric disorders is limited, and in most cases the evidence for genetic risk factors remains our strongest clue to their cause. Their precise genetic architecture is however largely unknown but is likely to be complex, with the phenotype being a result of interactions between multiple genetic and environmental factors. Consequently each DNA variant will inevitably have a modest effect on disease risk. In this review we will provide a general outline to the main approaches that are used in studies aiming to identify susceptibility genes for psychiatric disorders.