The high biological interpretability of the results was the first advantage of our study. Abnormalities in cortical morphology (e.g., thinner cortex and smaller cortical surface area) were unique to SCZ[
25] and distinguished it from BP and MDD[
26]. Previous studies have identified overlapped risk loci between SCZ, cortical thickness, and cortical surface area[
27,
28] and established connections between treatment response and cortical morphology[
29]. Our study identified 6 genes (
LINC01795,
DDHD2,
SBNO1,
KCNG2,
RUFY1, and
SEMA7A) that are associated with cortical morphology and play crucial roles in neurofunction. For example,
DDHD2 encodes a phospholipase enzyme involved in endosomal membrane trafficking[
30], while
KCNG2 encodes a potassium voltage-gated channel-related protein[
31].
SEMA7A regulates axon guidance, synapse elimination, hippocampal neurogenesis, mesolimbic dopaminergic pathways, and maturation of the cortical circuit[
32,
33].
RUFY1 encodes an effector protein for small GTPases, influences receptor surface expression and modulates dopamine release, synaptic current, glutamatergic transmission, membrane excitability, and long-term depression[
34-
39]. The CpG sites identified in our study may influence gene transcriptional expression, as methylation levels in promoter regions can inhibit transcription, while gene body methylation can enhance transcription[
40]. Additionally, individual DNA methylation levels are stable in the long-term and are less affected by antipsychotic drug treatment[
41-
43], thus enabling us to reflect DNA methylation changes in the brain through peripheral blood samples, which involve a low economic burden for patients and are widely accessible. Therefore, the model can inform the selection of APDs before treatment and the adjustment of APDs during treatment.