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SUMMARY:The simple truth about the genetic complexity of schizophrenia - D
 r. Danny Weinberger\, National Institutes of Health\, USA
DTSTART:20090929T081500Z
DTEND:20090929T090000Z
UID:TALK18677@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Hannah Critchlow
DESCRIPTION:This talk is part of the Cambridge Clinical Neuroscience and M
 ental Health Symposium\, 29th - 30th September 2009 at West Road Concert H
 all. This event is free to attend for cambridge neuroscientists although r
 egistration is required. To register\, and for further information\, rleas
 e visit: http://www.neuroscience.cam.ac.uk/cnmhs/\n\nAbstract: Over the pa
 st six years\, genes putatively related to the etiology of schizophrenia a
 nd related conditions have been identified.  There is considerable controv
 ersy about whether any of the genetic evidence so far is valid.  This cont
 roversy resides largely in questions about the strength of statistical evi
 dence\, though it is generally agreed that the end game in gene identifica
 tion of complex disorders such as mental illnesses cannot be based on stat
 istics.  The end game is a biological one\, based on demonstrating that va
 riation in a candidate gene impacts on the biology of the gene so that it 
 biases towards expression of the biology of the illness.  Ultimately\, the
  genes tell us what schizophrenia is at a basic cellular level.  This talk
  will address the biological clues that have emerged so far about the gene
 tic origins of schizophrenia and some of the likely explanations for the c
 urrent controversies.  The findings that will be reviewed converge on the 
 conclusion that there are many genetic and molecular pathways to schizophr
 enia and related phenotypes\, that Interactions of variations within genes
 \, between genes\, and with the environment confound simple models of gene
 tic association in psychiatry but show biologically lawful effects on brai
 n-related intermediate phenotypes.  Thus\, simple models of genetic associ
 ation do not work\, and solutions will require new approaches and new thin
 king.  \n\nReferences:\nHuffaker SJ\, Chen J\, Nicodemus KK\, et al: A pri
 mate-specific\, brain isoform of KCNH2 affects cortical physiology\, cogni
 tion\, neuronal repolarization and risk of schizophrenia. Nature Medicine 
 15: 509-518\, 2009.\n\nTan HY\, Nicodemus KK\, Chen Q\, et al: Genetic var
 iation in AKT1 is linked to dopamine-associated prefrontal cortical struct
 ure and function in humans. J Clin Investigation 18:2200-2208\, 2008.\n\nN
 icodemus KK\, Marenco S\, Batten AJ\, et al: Serious obstetric complicatio
 ns interact with hypoxia-regulated/vascular-expression genes to influence 
 schizophrenia risk. Mol Psychiatry 13:873-877\, 2008.\n\nBiosketch: Daniel
  Weinberger is Director of the Genes\, Cognition\, and Psychosis Program o
 f the Intramural Research Program\, National Institute of Mental Health\, 
 National Institutes of Health in Bethesda\, Maryland.  He attended college
  at the Johns Hopkins University and medical school at the University of P
 ennsylvanian and did residencies in psychiatry at Harvard Medical School a
 nd in neurology at George Washington University.  He is board certified in
  both psychiatry and neurology.  \n\nDaniel's research at the NIMH has foc
 used on brain mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis and treatment of neu
 ropsychiatric disorders\, especially schizophrenia.  His work has defined 
 dysfunctional neural systems in the brain that appear to underlie many of 
 the clinical symptoms of the illness.  He was instrumental in focusing res
 earch on the role of abnormal brain development as a risk factor for schiz
 ophrenia.  His lab has identified the first specific genetic mechanism of 
 risk for schizophrenia\, and the first genetic effects that account for va
 riation in specific human cognitive functions and in human temperament.  I
 n addition\, he and his colleagues developed the first high fidelity anima
 l model of schizophrenia.   In 2003\, Science magazine highlighted the gen
 etic research of his lab as the second biggest scientific breakthrough of 
 the year\, second to the origins of the cosmos.  \n\nHe is the recipient o
 f many honors and awards\, including the NIH Directors Award\, The William
  K. Warren Medical Research Institute Award\, the  Adolf Meyer Prize of th
 e American Psychiatric Association\, the Research Prize of the World Feder
 ation of Societies of Biological Psychiatry\, the Gold Medal Award of the 
 Society of Biological Psychiatry\, the Foundation's Fund Prize from the Am
 erican Psychiatric Association\, and the Lieber Prize of the National Alli
 ance for Research on Schizophrenia and Affective Disorders. He is past pre
 sident of the Society of Biological Psychiatry\, past President of the Ame
 rican College of Neuropsychopharmacology and has been elected to the Insti
 tute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences.  He sits on the edit
 orial boards of sixteen scientific journals.  He has published over four h
 undred scientific articles and has authored or edited six books.\n
LOCATION:West Road Concert Hall
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