Quantitative Trait Locus Analysis: A New Tool for Psychiatric Genetics

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Abstract
This update provides a brief overview of the principles underlying quantitative trait locus (QTL) analysis and of the usefulness of this analysis as a new tool for psychiatric ge netics. We review the criteria by which inbred rodent strains are chosen for QTL analysis; the various breeding protocols that may be used in QTL analysis; the principles underlying the phenotyping and genotyping of animals; the statistical analysis by which genetic loci are identified; and, finally, the challenge of discovering the specific genes within the identified loci that affect the trait of interest. QTL analysis offers promise for advancing our understanding of the genetics of mammalian behavior and, ultimately, of the etiology of psychiatric disorders. NEUROSCIENTIST 4:317-323, 1998