Psychiatric genetics in the diverse landscape of Latin American populations
- PMID: 40175716
- PMCID: PMC12133068
- DOI: 10.1038/s41588-025-02127-z
Psychiatric genetics in the diverse landscape of Latin American populations
Abstract
Psychiatric disorders are highly heritable and polygenic, influenced by environmental factors and often comorbid. Large-scale genome-wide association studies (GWASs) through consortium efforts have identified genetic risk loci and revealed the underlying biology of psychiatric disorders and traits. However, over 85% of psychiatric GWAS participants are of European ancestry, limiting the applicability of these findings to non-European populations. Latin America and the Caribbean, regions marked by diverse genetic admixture, distinct environments and healthcare disparities, remain critically understudied in psychiatric genomics. This threatens access to precision psychiatry, where diversity is crucial for innovation and equity. This Review evaluates the current state and advancements in psychiatric genomics within Latin America and the Caribbean, discusses the prevalence and burden of psychiatric disorders, explores contributions to psychiatric GWASs from these regions and highlights methods that account for genetic diversity. We also identify existing gaps and challenges and propose recommendations to promote equity in psychiatric genomics.
© 2025. Springer Nature America, Inc.
Conflict of interest statement
Competing interests: C.M.B. reports receiving royalties from Pearson Education. S.L.-L. is an employee of Novartis Pharma; the statements presented do not necessarily represent the position of the company. E.A.S. reports receiving research funding to his institution from the Ream Foundation, the International OCD Foundation and the NIH. He was a consultant for BrainsWay and Biohaven Pharmaceuticals in the past 12 months. He owns stock less than $5,000 in nView (for distribution of the Y-BOCS and the CY-BOCS). He receives book royalties from Elsevier, Wiley, Oxford, the American Psychological Association, Guildford, Springer, Routledge and Jessica Kingsley. All other authors declare no competing interests.
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