Chunk #114 — 5. Implications for understanding gene-brain-behavior relationships in health and disease — 5.1. Intermediate phenotypes, or “endophenotypes”
One possible solution for this seemingly intractable problem is to shift the focus of genetic studies from the complex phenotype to its “building blocks”, or component processes of liability, and to trace them all the way up to the behavioral phenotype. The first step is to delineate these components, which can be represented by heritable individual differences in brain function and psychophysiological responses. The next step is to identify common and process-specific genes influencing these components. The final step is to determine how interaction between these components gives rise to the complex behavioral phenotype, i.e. elucidation of etiological mechanisms.
