Tracing the Genetic Odyssey of Psychiatric Disorders: From Twin Studies to Genomic Insights

Psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression, and autism spectrum disorders present a significant global health burden, with profound social and economic consequences. For decades, the search for their origins has spanned both environmental and biological domains, with genetics emerging as a cornerstone in unraveling the complexity of these conditions.

This Research Topic seeks to chart the remarkable journey of psychiatric genetics—beginning with classic twin and family studies that provided the first estimations of heritability and the compelling evidence for genetic influence on mental health. These early studies laid the foundation for subsequent waves of research that have since benefitted from revolutionary advances in genomic science. Innovations such as genome-wide association studies (GWAS), whole-exome and whole-genome sequencing, and polygenic risk scoring have transformed our understanding of the genetic architecture underlying psychiatric disorders, uncovering thousands of risk variants and suggesting intricate patterns of gene-gene and gene-environment interaction.

We invite original research, review articles, and perspectives that address topics including, but not limited to:

o Historical and contemporary findings from twin, family, and population-based studies;
o Insights from GWAS, next-generation sequencing, copy number variant (CNV) analyses, and epigenomic approaches in psychiatric genetics;
o Investigations into shared versus disorder-specific genetic risk across psychiatric phenotypes;
o Integration of genetic and environmental data to elucidate gene-environment interactions;
o Advances in bioinformatics and systems biology to understand molecular mechanisms and pathway convergence;
o Clinical translation: from genetic discoveries to biomarkers, therapeutic targets, and the realization of personalized interventions in psychiatric care.

By bridging the timeline from foundational heritability studies to cutting-edge genomics, this collection aims to illuminate the multifaceted genetic architecture of psychiatric disorders. Our goal is to foster dialogue and collaboration that will accelerate the identification of actionable biological insights, ultimately improving prevention, diagnosis, and treatment for affected individuals.

We look forward to contributions that will help propel the field of psychiatric genetics into its next phase-one characterized by integration, innovation, and individualized care.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: genome-wide association study, polygenic risk score, heritability, twin study, copy number variant, whole-exome sequencing, gene-environment interaction, epigenomics, and biomarker discovery

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.