Editorial
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World J Psychiatr. Dec 22, 2014; 4(4): 69-71
Published online Dec 22, 2014. doi: 10.5498/wjp.v4.i4.69
Neuropsychiatric genetics in developing countries: Current challenges
Diego A Forero, Alberto Vélez-van-Meerbeke, Smita N Deshpande, Humberto Nicolini, George Perry
Diego A Forero, Laboratory of NeuroPsychiatric Genetics, Biomedical Sciences Research Group, School of Medicine, Universidad Antonio Nariño, Bogotá 110231, Colombia
Alberto Vélez-van-Meerbeke, Neuroscience Research Group (NeURos), School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universidad del Rosario, Bogotá 110231, Colombia
Smita N Deshpande, Department of Psychiatry, De-addiction Services and Resource Center for Tobacco Control, PGIMER-Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, New Delhi 110001, India
Humberto Nicolini, Laboratory of Psychiatric and Neurodegenerative Diseases, Instituto Nacional de Medicina Genómica, 14610 Ciudad de México, México
George Perry, College of Sciences, University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX 78229, United States
Author contributions: All authors contributed to the writing and revision of the manuscript.
Supported by Research grants from VCTI-UAN and Colciencias, and research grants from Universidad del Rosario
Conflict-of-interest: None reported.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article which selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Correspondence to: Dr. Diego A Forero, MD, PhD, Professor, Laboratory of NeuroPsychiatric Genetics, Biomedical Sciences Research Group, School of Medicine, Universidad Antonio Nariño, Bogotá 110231, Colombia. diego.forero@uan.edu.co
Telephone: +57-313-2610427 Fax: +57-1-3405871
Received: November 3, 2014
Peer-review started: November 3, 2014
First decision: November 21, 2014
Revised: November 27, 2014
Accepted: December 3, 2014
Article in press: December 10, 2014
Published online: December 22, 2014
Processing time: 50 Days and 7 Hours
Abstract

Neuropsychiatric disorders (NPDs) constitute a heavy burden on public health systems around the world and studies have demonstrated that the negative impact of NPDs is larger in Low and Middle Income Countries (LMICs). In recent decades, several studies have come to the understanding that genetic factors play a major role in the risk for a large number of NPDs. However, few neuropsychiatric genetics studies have been published from LMICs. In this Editorial, we discuss important issues impinging on advances in neuropsychiatric genetics research in LMICs. It is essential that scientists educate policymakers and officials of funding agencies on the importance of providing adequate funding for research in these areas. Development of local well-supported research programs focused on NPD genetics should be an important asset to develop; it would facilitate the establishment of sustainable research efforts that could lead to appropriate diagnosis and specific, affordable and feasible interventions in LMICs. It is important to point out that research into the biological basis of human NPDs is not only an academic effort reserved for a few elite institutions in economically developed countries, but it is vitally important for the mental health of people around the world.

Keywords: Neurogenetics; Psychiatric genetics; Mental health; Neurosciences; Public health

Core tip: Neuropsychiatric Disorders (NPDs) constitute a heavy burden on public health systems around the world. Studies have demonstrated that the negative impact of NPDs is larger in Low and Middle Income Countries (LMICs). However, few neuropsychiatric genetics studies have been published from LMICs. In this Editorial, we discuss important issues impinging on advances in neuropsychiatric genetics research in LMICs. It is essential that scientists educate policymakers and officials of funding agencies on the importance of providing adequate funding for research in these areas. Development of local research programs focused on NPD genetics should be an important asset to develop in LMICs.