Are we doing enough to extract genomic information from our data?

Genome-wide studies have been successful in identifying stable associations of single genes, albeit at the price of a high false negative rate. The promise of endophenotypes to increase power of genome-wide association studies has only been partially fulfilled. To optimize the investigation of genetic influences on behavioral (endo-)phenotypes, the development of novel phenotypical characterizations and methods to describe the relation between genotype and phenotype are needed. This will require the development of innovative analytical strategies, as well as corroborative approaches linking association studies with functional characterizations. The sole reliance on canonical genome-wide significance thresholds is not sufficient to describe the complex relation of genotype and phenotype.