Copy Number Variants: A New Molecular Frontier in Clinical Psychiatry

Molecular genetic research, building on genetic epidemiology, has provided the field of psychiatry with a host of exciting advances. It is now clear beyond any reasonable doubt that genetic inheritance influences liability to develop almost every major psychiatric disorder. Rapid progress in identifying genes contributing to psychiatric liability, recently accelerated by the advent of approaches such as genome-wide association studies and chromosomal microarray analysis, raises a critical question for psychiatric practice and training: how will molecular genetics alter the practice of psychiatry for front-line clinicians? The premise of the present review is that our growing knowledge regarding the roles of copy number variants in behavioral disorders will soon require revision of standards of evaluation and care for psychiatric patients.