Advances in Molecular Genetics of Psychiatric Diseases

A special issue of Genes (ISSN 2073-4425). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Genetics and Genomics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 January 2026 | Viewed by 382

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Department of Food Science and Nutrition, University of the Aegean, Myrina, Lemnos, Greece
Interests: genomics; genetics; psychiatric genetics; immunogenetics; GWAS; structural variation; rare variant analysis; single-cell RNA sequencing

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Recent advances in molecular genetics have begun to unravel the complex biological underpinnings of psychiatric disorders, offering new insights into their etiology, diagnosis, and potential treatment strategies. The integration of genome-wide association studies (GWAS), whole-genome and exome sequencing, transcriptomics, and epigenomic profiling has identified numerous risk loci, rare variants, and regulatory mechanisms involved in disorders such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder, autism spectrum disorder, and anxiety-related conditions. These findings not only enhance our understanding of gene–environment interactions and brain development but also pave the way for precision psychiatry.

In this Special Issue, we welcome original research and review articles that explore the molecular and genetic basis of psychiatric diseases. Topics may include, but are not limited to, genetic architecture, functional genomics, transcriptomic signatures, rare variant analyses, epigenetic regulation, gene–environment interactions, and novel bioinformatic- or model-based approaches in psychiatric genetics.

Dr. Fotis Tsetsos
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • psychiatric genetics
  • molecular psychiatry
  • GWAS
  • rare variants
  • transcriptomics
  • epigenetics
  • gene-environment interactions
  • precision psychiatry
  • schizophrenia
  • bipolar disorder
  • depression
  • autism spectrum disorder
  • anxiety
  • functional genomics
  • neurodevelopmental disorders

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

13 pages, 350 KB  
Article
Genetic Association Study of Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) and Serotonin-Related Gene Variants in Suicide Attempters with Major Depressive Disorder and Control Persons
by Taehun Kim, Seong Beom Oh, Han Joo Choi, Chan Young Koh, Yong Oh Kim, Min Jeong Kim, Sijun Woo, Youngil Lee, Chang Min Lee, Jong Wan Kim, You-Shin Yi and Myung Ho Lim
Genes 2025, 16(11), 1304; https://doi.org/10.3390/genes16111304 - 1 Nov 2025
Viewed by 172
Abstract
Objective: Suicide attempts have become one of the most serious problems worldwide in recent years. Suicide attempts are known to be genetically highly associated with serotonin and BDNF in international studies. Methods: In this study, we investigated the association with rs6265 (BDNF [...] Read more.
Objective: Suicide attempts have become one of the most serious problems worldwide in recent years. Suicide attempts are known to be genetically highly associated with serotonin and BDNF in international studies. Methods: In this study, we investigated the association with rs6265 (BDNF), and rs11030101 (BDNF), rs3813034 (Serotonin Transporter, SLC6A4) rs4680 (TPH1), rs1800532 (TPH1), rs1386493 (TPH2), rs6311 (HTR2A), rs6313 (HTR2A), rs6314 (HTR2A), rs6296 (HTR1B), gene polymorphism in Korean suicides with major depressive disorder who visited the emergency room. Results: A case-control study was conducted with 226 suicide and suicide attempts with major depressive disorder and 1469 general controls, and genotypes were determined by PCR-RFLP method. Significant associations between the rs11030101 (BDNF) genotype and suicide/suicide attempters were confirmed (OR 0.44, 95% CI 0.23–0.84, p = 0.0004), and significant associations between the rs11030101 (BDNF) allele and suicide/suicide attempters were confirmed (OR 0.63, 95% CI 0.50–0.80, p = 0.0002), in addition to the recessive genotype (OR 0.55, 95% CI 0.29–1.03, p = 0.03) and overdominant genotype (OR 0.66, 95% CI 0.49–0.88, p = 0.0046). Also, significant associations between the rs3813034 (SLC6A4) recessive genotype and suicide/suicide attempts were confirmed in the study results (OR 2.03, 95% CI 1.12–3.68, p = 0.028). After correction for multiple testing, none of the serotonin-related polymorphisms displayed any significant case–control differences. Conclusions: The BDNF gene may influence suicide attempts in Korean patients with major depression who have performed a suicide attempt. Replication in larger studies and other populations is needed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Molecular Genetics of Psychiatric Diseases)
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