Novel Implications For RNA In Psychiatric Genetics

Over the past few decades our understanding of the complexity of both psychiatric genetics and gene expression has expanded exponentially. It is now understood that multiple genes and various genetic factors contribute to the risk for psychiatric disorders. It is also now understood that a variety of non-coding RNA species and RNA-modifying proteins work in concert to modulate gene expression with unexpectedly high levels of nuance. Challenging how we think about gene expression, our awareness of the influence of RNA continues to evolve and build as new non-coding RNA species are discovered, novel functions are attributed to the more characterized non-coding RNAs, and additional interactions between non-coding and coding RNAs are elucidated. The involvement of such RNA based mechanisms in regulating pathways contributing to brain function and disease continues to be uncovered and may provide avenues for critical breakthroughs in our understanding and treatment of psychiatric disorders.