Critical Developmental Windows of Voltage-Gated Cation Channel Expression in Psychiatric Disorders

Abstract

The molecular underpinnings of psychiatric disorders remain elusive despite there being a paramount need to establish druggable targets for their treatment. Genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have identified numerous candidate genes implicated in the pathology of psychiatric disorders. However, a key challenge is to identify time intervals when implicated biological pathways are germane. This information is critical from a drug development perspective because it guides when psychopharmacotherapy should be applied to achieve maximum effect.