New alcohol-related genes suggest shared genetic mechanisms with neuropsychiatric disorders

Exome sequencing of extended families with autism reveals genes shared across neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric disorders

BACKGROUND Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) comprise a range of neurodevelopmental conditions of varying severity, characterized by marked qualitative difficulties in social relatedness, communication, and behavior. Despite overwhelming evidence of high heritability, results from genetic studies to date show that ASD etiology is extremely heterogeneous and only a fraction of autism genes have b...

Gut Microbiota and Neuropsychiatric Disorders

Shared Mechanisms of Alcohol and Other Drugs

Identifying the changes that occur in the brain as a result of alcohol and other drug (AOD) use is important to understanding the development of AOD addiction. The nerve cell signaling chemical (i.e., neurotransmitter) γ-aminobutync acid (GABA) plays an important role in the brain chemistry of addiction. Most drugs interact with binding molecules (i.e., receptors) for specific neurotransmitters...

Molecular-genetic mechanisms of memory formation in mouse models of neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric disorders

Neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric disorders are a significant and expanding global health crisis. Many individuals affected by these disorders have social and cognitive symptoms represent significant sources of ongoing disability that are refractory to available treatment options. The search for cures and therapies for disorders fundamentally requires an understanding of the core neuropat...

Glucocorticoid mechanisms of functional connectivity changes in stress-related neuropsychiatric disorders

Stress-especially chronic, uncontrollable stress-is an important risk factor for many neuropsychiatric disorders. The underlying mechanisms are complex and multifactorial, but they involve correlated changes in structural and functional measures of neuronal connectivity within cortical microcircuits and across neuroanatomically distributed brain networks. Here, we review evidence from animal mo...