Could EEG and ERP endophenotypes be more widely applied, apart from helping us to understand how genetic variants cause psychiatric risk? The main system for classifying psychiatric disorders is the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V). This system is based on a tally of symptoms and their impact on daily functioning reported by patients or their caregivers. The DSM currently is undergoing substantial revision [46], and a question that repeatedly surfaces is whether we can use the combination of genetic risk scores and brain endophenotypes to better classify psychiatric disorders. Progress in research on the genetics of brain endophenotypes may be key to the successful development of such a classification system. This system would base our diagnostic procedures more solidly on biology and reinforce the notion that psychiatric disorders are disorders of the brain.
