Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of contributors
- Acknowledgements
- Introduction: revision of an old transmitter
- Part I The neurobiology of norepinephrine
- Part II Norepinephrine and behavior
- Part III The biology of norepinephrine in CNS pathology
- 10 Animal models of psychopathology: focus on norepinephrine
- 11 Neuropathology of central norepinephrine in psychiatric disorders: postmortem research
- 12 Norepinephrine in mood disorders
- 13 Noradrenergic pathology and pain
- 14 Norepinephrine and cognitive disorders
- 15 Norepinephrine in neurological disorders
- 16 Genetics of noradrenergic neurobiology
- Part IV Psychopharmacology of norepinephrine
- Index
16 - Genetics of noradrenergic neurobiology
from Part III - The biology of norepinephrine in CNS pathology
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 07 September 2009
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of contributors
- Acknowledgements
- Introduction: revision of an old transmitter
- Part I The neurobiology of norepinephrine
- Part II Norepinephrine and behavior
- Part III The biology of norepinephrine in CNS pathology
- 10 Animal models of psychopathology: focus on norepinephrine
- 11 Neuropathology of central norepinephrine in psychiatric disorders: postmortem research
- 12 Norepinephrine in mood disorders
- 13 Noradrenergic pathology and pain
- 14 Norepinephrine and cognitive disorders
- 15 Norepinephrine in neurological disorders
- 16 Genetics of noradrenergic neurobiology
- Part IV Psychopharmacology of norepinephrine
- Index
Summary
Introduction
The genetic paradigm is one of inheritance and variation. A critical domain of application of the genetic paradigm is the common complex diseases, including several that involve noradrenergic function. These diseases, including hypertension and psychiatric disorders such as anxiety and depression, are substantially heritable, indicating a powerful role for inherited gene variation. The genetics tools, both informational and technical, have developed very rapidly during the past two decades and have created a scientific revolution. Whole-genome sequencing projects have been completed, beginning with microbial genomes and continuing with the eukaryotic species: human, chimpanzee, mouse, rat, dog, and fruit fly. The genome sequences provide an informational resource of linear sequence and sequence variation. A series of new technologies has been created to apply the knowledge, including bioinformatics, robotics, and genotyping chemistries.
Many of the principal aspects of the genome are still poorly understood, for example, the regulation of alternative splicing, control of transcription, role of intergenic material, and function of many noncoding RNAs. Gene prediction is uncertain. Although many common disorders (e.g., cardiovascular, autoimmune, psychiatric) have genetic etiologies, their inheritance is genetically complex, such that variations in more than one gene lead to a phenotype, prominent gene x environment interactions, and gene x gene interactions may also occur.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Brain NorepinephrineNeurobiology and Therapeutics, pp. 472 - 512Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2007