Neurophysiological endophenotypes of schizophrenia: the viability of selected candidate measures." Schizophr Bull 33(1): 6994

In an effort to reveal susceptibility genes, schizophrenia re-search has turned to the endophenotype strategy. Endophe-notypes are characteristics that reflect the actions of genes predisposing an individual to a disorder, even in the absence of diagnosable pathology. Individual endophenotypes are presumably determined by fewer genes than the more com-plex phenotype of schizophrenia and would, therefore, re-duce the complexity of genetic analyses. Unfortunately, despite there being rational criteria to define a viable endo-phenotype, the term is sometimes applied indiscriminately to characteristics that are deviant in affected individuals. Schizophrenia patients exhibit deficits in several neuro-physiological measures of information processing that have been proposed as candidate endophenotypes. Success-ful processing of sensory inputs requires the ability to in