Autism and Schizophrenia are complex psychiatric diseases, created by a combination of genetic and environmental factors. A large number of small de novo mutations that affect only one or two nucleotides, disrupt the normal function of proteins responsible for reception of a signal between neurons. Interestingly, many of these mutations are not inherited, but can occur as a result of environmental influence. These mutations largely overlap between various psychiatric disorders. Whole-genome sequencing can explain the interplay between these mutations and help facilitate the development of accurate diagnostic and treatment approaches. For more information on applications of Illumina technology in the field of Complex Diseases, please visit us at Illumina: Complex Disease Applications http://applications.illumina.com/applications/genetic-disease/complex-disease.ilmn Products: HiSeq http://systems.illumina.com/systems/hiseq_2500_1500.ilmn References: PMID: 24463507 | Fromer M., et al. (2014): http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24463507 PMID: 24695333 | Hyman S. E. (2014): http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24695333 The Science Mondays (SciMon) series is brought to you by Illumina http://www.illumina.com/ Illumina hosts Sergey Nechaev, Ph.D., Scientist Intern, Scientific Affairs and Jacques Retief, Associate Director Scientific Affairs deliver 7 minutes of scientific enlightenment on the latest discoveries.