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Evidence for polygenic inheritance in schizophrenia?
Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica
|March 1, 1977
Summary
Replication studies on functional psychosis inheritance found conflicting results. Initial findings suggested polygenic inheritance, but subsequent research in schizophrenic families did not confirm this, highlighting the need for more evidence.
Area of Science:
- Psychiatry
- Behavioral Genetics
- Clinical Psychology
Background:
- Previous research suggested a positive association between the frequency of psychosis in siblings and the number of psychotic individuals in the parental generation.
- This association was interpreted as evidence for polygenic inheritance of functional psychosis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To replicate the findings of Odegaard (1972) regarding the inheritance patterns of functional psychosis.
- To investigate potential biases or differences that might explain discrepancies between studies on psychosis inheritance.
Main Methods:
- Comparison of family studies on functional psychosis.
- Analysis of inheritance patterns across generations.
Main Results:
- An attempt to replicate Odegaard's findings in a sample of schizophrenic families was unsuccessful.
- Discrepancies in results between the original study and the replication attempt remained unexplained.
Conclusions:
- The contrasting results and unexplained discrepancies caution against definitive genetic conclusions regarding functional psychosis.
- Further research is needed to clarify the mode of inheritance and resolve inconsistencies in family studies of psychosis.