It has long been known that aspects of behavior run in families; studies show that characteristics related to cognition, temperament, and all major psychiatric disorders are heritable. This volume offers a primer on understanding the genetic mechanisms of such inherited traits. It proposes a set of tools--a conceptual basis--for critically evaluating recent studies and offers a survey of results from the latest research in the emerging fields of cognitive genetics and imaging genetics. The chapters emphasize fundamental issues regarding the design of experiments, the use of bioinformatic tools, the integration of data from different levels of analysis, and the validity of findings, arguing that associations between genes and cognitive processes must be replicable and placed in a neurobiological context for validation. The Genetics of Cognitive Neuroscience aims to give the reader a working understanding of the influence of specific genetic variants on cognition, affective regulation, personality, and central nervous system disorders. With its emphasis on general methodological points, it will remain a valuable resource in a fast-evolving field.

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