It has long been known that schizophrenia has a substantial genetic component, with a complex, non-Mendelian inheritance. Estimates of heritability range from ~65–80% (Lichtenstein et al., 2009; Sullivan et al., 2003). Recent research has considerably advanced our understanding in terms of identifying risk loci, the nature of the genetic architecture, and the mechanisms by which genetic risk is conferred (Giusti-Rodriguez and Sullivan, 2013; Gratten et al., 2014; Mowry and Gratten, 2013). Equally, the data emphasise just how complicated is the picture, how little of it has yet been revealed, and the challenges that remain in translating the information into clinically or therapeutically relevant advances (McCarroll and Hyman, 2013; Muglia, 2012; O’Connell et al, 2011). Here, the main findings and themes to emerge from the recent genomic studies of schizophrenia are briefly summarised, before considering their therapeutic implications in terms of target discovery and validation.
