In the Literature

Genetics of Schizophrenia: Historical Insights and Prevailing Evidence
Joyve Van De Leemput et al.
In this review, the authors seek to synthesize perspectives from genetic and epigenetic literature on schizophrenia (SZ) through a qualitative review of risk factors and prevailing hypotheses. Based on the findings of previous genetic and epigenetic studies, as well as the continued development of new technologies to collect and interpret large-scale studies, they are left with a positive outlook for the future of efforts to clarify the molecular genetic mechanisms underlying SZ and other complex neuropsychiatric disorders.

Widespread Signatures of Positive Selection in Common Risk Alleles Associated to Autism Spectrum Disorder
Renato Polimanti and Joel Gelernter
The systems genetics of psychiatric disorders may bear signatures of the innumerable evolutionary processes that make up the brain. Using data from the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium, the authors hypothesize that certain Autism Spectrum Disorder risk alleles were under positive selection during human evolution due to their involvement in neurogenesis and cognitive ability.

Targeted Sequencing Identifies 91 Neurodevelopmental-Disorder Risk Genes with Autism and Developmental-Disability Biases
Holly A. F. Stessman et al. 
Gene-disruptive mutations contribute to the biology of neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs), but most of the related pathogenic genes are not known. This study identified 25 genes with a bias for autism rather than intellectual disability, and highlighted a network of genes associated with high-functioning autism.

• Read more: Analyses Narrow In On ASD, Neurodevelopment-Related De Novo Mutations

Alzheimer Outlook Far From Bleak
Jeff Lyon
Last summer, deep disappointment befell the Alzheimer disease (AD) community when study results showed that the widely heralded experimental drug LMTX had failed to help AD patients. In November, another promising drug, Solanezumab, also dashed hopes. JAMA sat down with two prominent researchers on AD and discussed whether the picture really is as gloomy as some believe.

Real-world Utility of Whole Exome Sequencing with Targeted Gene Analysis for Focal Epilepsy 
Piero Perucca et al. 
The clinical utility of next-generation sequencing remains to be determined in focal epilepsies, which account for 60% of all epilepsies and for which the importance of genetic factors is just beginning to emerge. This study found that whole exome sequencing with targeted gene analysis is an effective diagnostic and clinical decision-making tool for focal epilepsies with suspected genetic etiologies.

A Cross Species Study of Heterogeneity in Fear Extinction Learning in Relation to FKBP5 Variation and Expression: Implications for the Acute Treatment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
Isaac R. Galatzer-Levy et al.
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may be undergirded by deficits in fear extinction learning. These deficits may be due in part to genetic variation in the stress related gene FKBP5. Alteration of FKBP5 mRNA expression is a plausible intervention for preventing PTSD development.

It’s All in the Brain: A Review of Available Functional Genomic Annotations
Sarah A. Gagliano
This review summarizes the availability and accessibility of brain epigenetic and functional genomic data as a single resource. The paper is intended to allow investigators to easily access available brain annotations and incorporate this information into their research to inform the field of neuroscience.

In the Literature, cont. 

Predicting Cognitive Executive Functioning with Polygenic Risk Scores for Psychiatric Disorders
Chelsie E. Benca et al.
Because executive function (EF) deficits are associated with most psychiatric disorders, EFs have been proposed as an endophenotype for such disorders. This study found no evidence that EFs are better endophenotypes than currently used measures more similar to these disorders. However, larger sample sizes will be important in examining this relationship further.

Genome-Wide Association Analyses of Sleep Disturbance Traits Identify New Loci and Highlight Shared Genetics With Neuropsychiatric and Metabolic Traits
Jacqueline M. Lane et al.
Chronic sleep disturbances affect 25–30% of adults worldwide and are associated with cardiometabolic diseases, psychiatric disorders and all-cause mortality. This study discovered genetic loci associated with insomnia symptoms, and genetic correlations between longer sleep duration and schizophrenia risk.

Heritability of Behavioral Problems in 7-Year Olds Based on Shared and Unique Aspects of Parental Views
Iryna O. Fedko et al.
Parent assessments often form the backbone of child psychopathology studies, and maternal ratings are the most common metric used. Parents are not always in agreement on the behavior of their child, though, so adding paternal observations may provide additional information that increases a study’s power.

Genetic and Environmental Sources of Implicit and Explicit Self-Esteem and Affect: Results from a Genetically Sensitive Multi-group Design
Stefan Stieger et al.
Researchers frequently utilize measures of implicit (i.e., automatic, spontaneous) evaluations. This study suggests that implicit and explicit evaluations of self-esteem and affect share a common genetic core, which aligns with the motivation and opportunity as determinants (MODE) model.

The Role of Genes and Environment in Degree of Partner Self-Similarity
James M. Sherlock et al.
The processes underlying romantic partner choice are remarkably complex and have been largely resistant to scientific explanation. One consistent finding is that, on average, members of romantic dyads tend to be more alike than would be expected by chance. This study revealed that very little of the variation in the tendency to assortatively mate across 14 traits was due to genetic effects (7%) or the shared environment.

The Influence of Genotype Information on Psychiatrists' Treatment Recommendations: More Experienced Clinicians Know Better What to Ignore
Alan McMichael et al.
A patient's genetic information may be used to predict their response to therapy; such information, however, becomes redundant once a clinician knows the patient's actual response to treatment.Clinicians should be cautious about allowing a patient's genetic information to carry unnecessary weight in clinical decision making.