This study supports literature suggesting that genetic factors contribute to the comorbidity between smoking and schizophrenia (Chen et al., 2016; Gage and Munafo, 2015b), highlighting the importance of further research in order to better understand the complex relationship between these two disorders. The combination of a differential prognosis in schizophrenia for those with and without nicotine dependence and evidence of shared etiology suggests that perhaps optimal treatment for schizophrenia differs, depending on whether there is comorbid nicotine dependence.
