Pharmacogenetics and psychopharmacology

Genetic factors play a major role in the differential responses to treatment or the incidence of adverse drug effects in psychopharmacotherapy. The aim of pharmacogenetics is to elucidate this variability caused by hereditary differences. From hypotheses on the mechanisms of drug action, several mutations in genes coding for neurotransmitter receptors, neurotransmitter-degrading enzymes, transport proteins or enzymes of the drug metabolizing system have been identified and investigated. Although there exists some controversy among the results, many studies are supportive of the hypothesis that psychopharmacogenetics will be helpful in predicting an individual's drug response while minimizing the rate of side effects. The inclusion of functional genomics, which investigates the complex gene and/or protein expression in response to a given drug, could help lead to the development of novel and safer drugs.