Research Advances in Genetics and Genomics

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.