Common disorders are quantitative traits

TY - JOUR

T1 - Common disorders are quantitative traits

AU - Plomin, Robert

AU - Haworth, Claire M. A.

AU - Davis, Oliver S. P.

PY - 2009/12

Y1 - 2009/12

N2 - After drifting apart for 100 years, the two worlds of genetics - quantitative genetics and molecular genetics - are finally coming together in genome-wide association (GWA) research, which shows that the heritability of complex traits and common disorders is due to multiple genes of small effect size. We highlight a polygenic framework, supported by recent GWA research, in which qualitative disorders can be interpreted simply as being the extremes of quantitative dimensions. Research that focuses on quantitative traits including the low and high ends of normal distributions - could have far-reaching implications for the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of the problematic extremes of these traits.

AB - After drifting apart for 100 years, the two worlds of genetics - quantitative genetics and molecular genetics - are finally coming together in genome-wide association (GWA) research, which shows that the heritability of complex traits and common disorders is due to multiple genes of small effect size. We highlight a polygenic framework, supported by recent GWA research, in which qualitative disorders can be interpreted simply as being the extremes of quantitative dimensions. Research that focuses on quantitative traits including the low and high ends of normal distributions - could have far-reaching implications for the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of the problematic extremes of these traits.

U2 - 10.1038/nrg2670

DO - 10.1038/nrg2670

M3 - Literature review

VL - 10

SP - 872

EP - 878

JO - NATURE REVIEWS GENETICS

JF - NATURE REVIEWS GENETICS

IS - 12

ER -