Although specific adhesion molecules including cell adhesion molecule L1-like (CHL1), neural cell adhesion molecule 1 (NCAM1) and junctional proteins such as claudin 5 (CLDN5) and gap junction protein alpha 8 (GJA8) associated with schizophrenia are not directly involved in the HCV replication cycle, these molecular families are critically involved in microbial recognition and intercellular communication. Here, GJA8 is linked to schizophrenia.