[Gene technology and mental disorders].

The article briefly reviews the use of modern molecular genetic methods in research into the genetic bases of psychiatric diseases. It raises some basic methodological problems, and describes more recent technologies (RFLP/VNTR markers). Present knowledge about the molecular genetics of Alzheimer's disease, schizophrenia, manic depression, Tourette's syndrome and infantile autism is briefly reviewed in to order show the potential benefits of gene technological methods in this area of research.