Searching for the true genetic vulnerability for schizophrenia

The search for a genetic basis for schizophrenia has taken a new turn recently with the publication of three reports of various rare copy-number variations that are associated with schizophrenia. While some of the findings may simply disappear as spurious reports, others remain interesting: that is, deletions in the Velocardiofacial syndrome region of chromosome 22, and regions of chromosome 1q21.1 and 15q13.3. These results will gain greater significance if future validation in family studies shows their segregation with illness within families, and when it is understood how the genes containing these variants affect the underlying neurochemistry and neuropathology characteristic of schizophrenia.