Environmental studies of schizophrenia through the prism of epigenetics

Abstract

Traditionally, etiological research of schizophrenia has been focused on elucidating predisposing genes and environmental risk factors. While numerous putative environmental hazards have been suggested, inconsistencies and methodological limitations of epidemiological studies have made it difficult to identify even a single exogenous cause of schizophrenia. Furthermore, there is increasing evidence that environmental risk factors may not play as much of a significant role in schizophrenia as previously suspected. In this article, we argue that molecular epigenetic studies can overcome the complexities of traditional epidemiological studies and may become a productive line of research in understanding the nongenetic mechanisms of schizophrenia.