Molecular genetic psychophysiology: a perspective on the Minnesota contribution

Progress in molecular genetic psychophysiology, on display in this special issue, shows that the affective and cognitive processes tagged by psychophysiological endophenotypes are highly polygenic. Identifying overlap in the genetic variants that influence these endophenotypes as well as behavioral traits can help us understand where in the brain, in which stage, and during what type of information processing these variants play a role in normal and abnormal behavior. The Minnesota Twin Family Study has demonstrated that the assessment of genetic markers and extensive psychophysiological experimentation can be done at a genetic epidemiological scale, that is, in thousands of subjects. A genome-wide association meta-analysis consortium consisting of psychophysiological research teams following the Minnesotan example is the obvious next step.