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The Genetics of Mental Retardation

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

Anita Thapar ,
Irving I. Gottesman ,
Michael J. Owen ,
Michael C. O'Donovan  and
Peter McGuffin
Anita Thapar*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychological Medicine, University of Wales College of Medicine, Heath Park, Cardiff CF4 4XN
Irving I. Gottesman
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
Michael J. Owen
Affiliation:
Department of Psychological Medicine and Institute of Medical Genetics, University of Wales College of Medicine, Cardiff
Michael C. O'Donovan
Affiliation:
Center for Cancer Research, Massachussetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
Peter McGuffin
Affiliation:
Department of Psychological Medicine, University of Wales College of Medicine, Heath Park, Cardiff
*
∗Correspondence
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Abstract

Individuals affected by mental retardation are a clinically and aetiologically heterogeneous group. This heterogeneity is particularly highlighted when we consider the genetics of mental retardation. Recent advances in molecular genetic techniques have enabled us to understand more about the molecular basis of several genetic syndromes associated with mental retardation. In contrast, where there is no discrete cause, the interplay of genetic and environmental influences remains poorly understood.

Type
Papers
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 164 , Issue 6 , June 1994 , pp. 747 - 758
Copyright
Copyright © 1994 The Royal College of Psychiatrists 

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