300. Epigenome-Wide Association Studies in Cases and Controls With High and Low Genetic Risk for Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia (SCZ) is a severe neuropsychiatric disorder with a substantial heritability; hundreds of independent common genetic risk variants contribute to its complex etiology. Interestingly, not all individuals with a high polygenic risk score for SCZ (SCZ-PRS) develop the disease, and conversely, some individuals with a low PRS do develop SCZ. We hypothesized that this might be explained by differences at the epigenetic level, more specifically by differences in DNA methylation (DNAm).