Molecular genetics
- DOI:
- 10.1093/med/9780199696758.003.0029
The transformation of the LOD score (an acronym for log of the odds ratio), from obscurity as a footnote in medical genetics, to celebrity as multiple choice test item in professional examinations in psychiatry, epitomizes the invasion of genetics, and particularly molecular genetics into psychiatric research. Moreover, like other celebrities caught up in fast moving fields, LOD scores are likely to return to their humble origins within a few years. As molecular genetic approaches to mental health move away from simply identifying genes and DNA sequence variants towards functional studies of increasing complexity, newcomers to the field have to master an expanding literature that covers diverse fields: from quantitative genetics to cell biology, from LOD scores to epigenetics. This chapter takes on the task of making the reader sufficiently familiar with the broad range of subjects now required to follow the progress of psychiatric genetics in the primary literature. A number of achievements have to be highlighted. Foremost among these is the completion of the human genome project. Announced annually from 2001 and thereby begging the question as to what constitutes completion, the human genome project is now an essential biological resource. As expected, the ability to sequence whole genomes has transformed the way genetics is carried out, perhaps most egregiously with the rise of bioinformatics as a core discipline: discovery now takes place using the internet rather than the laboratory. Anyone with an interest in human biology should look at the frequently updated information at
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