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The genetics of suicide: a critical review of molecular studies
Jelena Brezo1, Tim Klempan, Gustavo Turecki
1Department of Psychiatry, McGill Group for Suicide Studies, 6875 La Salle Boulevard, Montreal, Quebec, H4H 1R3, Canada.
Abstract:
Genetic epidemiology research has shown that genes contribute to suicide risk. Unfortunately, the first 30 years of candidate-based association studies have provided little information about the specific genetic contributors. This article reviews genetic association studies of suicidal phenotypes published to date. Possible theoretical, methodological, and operational challenges accounting for the modest success of association studies in the field are also discussed. The authors conclude that future research may benefit from using a more systematic and comprehensive selection of candidate genes and variants, examining gene-environment and gene-gene interactions, and investigating higher-order moderators.
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