In recent years, the availability of large-scale genomic data has started to revolutionize our understanding of mental disorders at the genetic level, yet is largely theory-neutral, not explaining why risk alleles persist and mental disorders are so common. Conversely, evolutionary psychiatry and psychopathology offer a rich variety of theoretical models and hypotheses to explain mental disorders at the evolutionary level, but have yet to fully take on board the findings of recent genetics. This disconnection is reinforced by the lack of shared conferences and other spaces for dialogue. And yet, the potential for synergy and cross-fertilization is striking; it is time to break down the existing disciplinary barriers and make decisive steps toward an integrative biology of mental disorders. This workshop will bring together emerging and established investigators working on all aspects of evolutionary psychiatry/psychopathology and the evolutionary genetics/genomics of mental disorders. The goal is to facilitate integration by making researchers aware of shared questions, mutually relevant ideas, and complementary scientific tools. Understanding mental disorders will require the theory to meet the evidence: this meeting will move that understanding forward.
Socio-economic status: A social construct with genetic consequences
The principles and goals of evolutionary psychiatry
What can genes really tell us about brains and psychiatric conditions? Towards consilience of top-down and bottom-up approaches
Functional models of psychopathology: the interface of evolution and genetics
Incorporating complexity into genetic models to examine models of selection
Multiple genetic pathways to adversity and depression
Solutions for psychiatry from evolution and genetics
What modern genomic findings tell us about the evolution of genetic variation underlying psychiatric disorders
Purifying selection and diagnostic heterogeneity contribute to the polygenic architecture of psychiatric disorders
Our evolving understanding of neurodevelopment and its implications for some evolutionary theories
Functional characterization of psychiatric disorder risk variants