CONTEXT Genetic vulnerability to psychopathic traits is likely to also manifest at the neural level. We have recently reported increased gray matter concentration in several brain areas in boys with psychopathic traits. OBJECTIVE To explore whether these gray matter concentration differences can be regarded as endophenotypes for psychopathic traits by (1) assessing their heritability and (2) ...

BACKGROUND This study was designed to investigate potential temperament endophenotypes for clinically significant importance of shape and weight. METHOD Seven temperament risk factors for eating disorders and the Eating Disorder Examination were assessed in 699 female twins aged 12-15 years. Each variable was evaluated against the following endophenotype criteria: associated with illness in t...

Uncovering the genetic risk and protective factors for complex diseases is of fundamental importance for advancing therapeutic and biomarker discoveries. This endeavor is particularly challenging for neuropsychiatric diseases where diagnoses predominantly rely on the clinical presentation, which may be heterogeneous, possibly due to the heterogeneity of the underlying genetic susceptibility fac...

Cyclin-dependent kinase 5 is activated by small subunits, of which p35 is the most abundant. The functions of cyclin-dependent kinase 5 signalling in cognition and cognitive disorders remains unclear. Here, we show that in schizophrenia, a disorder associated with impaired cognition, p35 expression is reduced in relevant brain regions. Additionally, the expression of septin 7 and OPA1, proteins...

OBJECTIVE This review attempts to differentiate neuroelectric measures (electroencephalogram (EEG), event-related potentials (ERPs) and event-related oscillations (EROs)) related to acute and chronic effects of alcohol on the brain from those that reflect underlying deficits related to the predisposition to develop alcoholism and related disorders. The utility of these neuroelectric measures as...

BACKGROUND The Affective Neuroscience Personality Scales (ANPS) is an instrument designed to assess endophenotypes related to activity in the core emotional systems that have emerged from affective neuroscience research. It operationalizes six emotional endophenotypes with empirical evidence derived from ethology, neural analyses and pharmacology: PLAYFULNESS/joy, SEEKING/interest, CARING/nurtu...

In an effort to reveal susceptibility genes, schizophrenia research has turned to the endophenotype strategy. Endophenotypes are characteristics that reflect the actions of genes predisposing an individual to a disorder, even in the absence of diagnosable pathology. Individual endophenotypes are presumably determined by fewer genes than the more complex phenotype of schizophrenia and would, the...

Studies examining the biological and neuropsychological processes underlying attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) suggest that error indices from the A-X Continuous Performance Test (A-X CPT) might represent useful endophenotypes for ADHD. The current study extended such findings by evaluating the utility of these putative endophenotypes in the context of a molecular genetic study. O...

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is marked by aggression and impulsive, often self-destructive behavior. Despite the severe risks associated with BPD, relatively little is known about the disorder's etiology. Identification of genetic correlates (endophenotypes) of BPD would improve the prospects of targeted interventions for more homogeneous subsets of borderline patients characterized by...

The N1 auditory event-related potential (ERP) is reduced in chronic schizophrenia, as is the P2 to attended tones. N1 reduction may be endophenotypic for schizophrenia, being reduced in twins of schizophrenic patients and showing heritability. Results in family members, however, are equivocal, with abnormally small N1 (consistent with an endophenotype) and abnormally large N1 (inconsistent with...