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Schaffer LS, Breunig S, Lawrence JM, Foote IF, Grotzinger AD. Characterizing Genetic Pathways Unique to Autism Spectrum Disorder at Multiple Levels of Biological Analysis. MEDRXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR HEALTH SCIENCES 2024:2024.06.07.24308616. [PMID: 38883730 PMCID: PMC11178016 DOI: 10.1101/2024.06.07.24308616] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/18/2024]
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by atypical patterns of social functioning and repetitive/restricted behaviors. ASD commonly co-occurs with ADHD and, despite their clinical distinctiveness, the two share considerable genetic overlap. Given their shared genetic liability, it is unclear which genetic pathways confer unique risk for ASD independent of ADHD. We applied Genomic Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) to GWAS summary statistics for ASD and ADHD, decomposing the genetic signal for ASD into that which is unique to ASD (uASD) and that which is shared with ADHD. We computed genetic correlations between uASD and 75 external traits to estimate genetic overlap between uASD and other clinically relevant phenotypes. We went on to apply Stratified Genomic SEM to identify classes of genes enriched for uASD. Finally, we implemented Transcriptome-Wide SEM (T-SEM) to explore patterns of gene-expression associated with uASD. We observed positive genetic correlations between uASD and several external traits, most notably those relating to cognitive/educational outcomes and internalizing psychiatric traits. Stratified Genomic SEM showed that heritability for uASD was significantly enriched in genes involved in evolutionarily conserved processes, as well as for a histone mark in the germinal matrix. T-SEM revealed 83 unique genes with expression associated with uASD, many of which were novel. These findings delineate the unique biological underpinnings of ASD which exist independent of ADHD and demonstrate the utility of Genomic SEM and its extensions for disambiguating shared and unique risk pathways for genetically overlapping traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lukas S Schaffer
- Institute for Behavioral Genetics, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO
| | - Sophie Breunig
- Institute for Behavioral Genetics, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO
| | - Jeremy M Lawrence
- Institute for Behavioral Genetics, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO
| | - Isabelle F Foote
- Institute for Behavioral Genetics, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO
| | - Andrew D Grotzinger
- Institute for Behavioral Genetics, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO
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Peyre H, Iftimovici A, Ellul P, Krebs MO, Delorme R, Baghdadli A, Pignon B, Chaumette B. Investigating the increased risk of schizophrenia and bipolar disorders in relatives of ADHD probands using colocalization analysis of common genetic variants. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry 2024:10.1007/s00787-024-02479-7. [PMID: 38836921 DOI: 10.1007/s00787-024-02479-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2022] [Accepted: 05/18/2024] [Indexed: 06/06/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Relatives of ADHD probands are known to be at increased risk of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, suggesting shared genetic factors. In this study, we aim to identify shared common risk variants (i.e., Single-Nucleotide Polymorphisms, SNPs) between ADHD and schizophrenia, and between ADHD and bipolar disorder. METHODS With the summary data from three GWAS, one on ADHD (20,183 cases with ADHD and 35,191 controls), another on schizophrenia (76,755 cases with schizophrenia and 243,649 controls) and another on bipolar disorder (41,917 cases with bipolar disorder and 371,549 controls), we used colocalization analysis to identify SNPs shared by ADHD and schizophrenia, and SNPs shared by ADHD and bipolar disorder. Functional genomic analyses were then conducted on these two sets of shared common genetic variants. RESULTS We found that three of the 12 SNPs associated with ADHD colocalized with schizophrenia SNPs and one of the 12 SNPs associated with ADHD colocalized with bipolar disorder. Only 0.4% of the SNPs associated with schizophrenia (2 out of 431) and 2.3% of the SNPs associated with bipolar disorder (2 out of 86), colocalized with ADHD SNPs. Some genes mapped to these shared genetic variants (SCN2A and UNC5D) are involved in the development of the nervous system. CONCLUSIONS Using colocalization analysis, the present study uncovers shared genetic variants associated with ADHD and schizophrenia as well as ADHD and bipolar disorder, and may at least partially explain the increased risk of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder in relatives of ADHD probands.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hugo Peyre
- Autism Reference Centre of Languedoc-Roussillon CRA-LR, Excellence Centre for Autism and Neurodevelopmental disorders CeAND, Montpellier University Hospital, MUSE University, Montpellier, France
- CESP Centre de recherche en Épidémiologie et Santé des Populations, INSERM U1178, Villejuif, France
| | - Anton Iftimovici
- Université Paris Cité, Institute of Psychiatry and Neuroscience of Paris (IPNP), INSERM U1266, Team Pathophysiology of Psychiatric Disorders, Paris, 75014, France.
- GHU-Paris Psychiatrie et Neurosciences, Hôpital Sainte Anne, Paris, F-75014, France.
| | - Pierre Ellul
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Robert Debré Hospital, APHP, Paris, France
- Immunology-Immunopathology-Immunotherapy (i3), UMRS 959, INSERM, Paris, France
| | - Marie-Odile Krebs
- Université Paris Cité, Institute of Psychiatry and Neuroscience of Paris (IPNP), INSERM U1266, Team Pathophysiology of Psychiatric Disorders, Paris, 75014, France
- GHU-Paris Psychiatrie et Neurosciences, Hôpital Sainte Anne, Paris, F-75014, France
| | - Richard Delorme
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Robert Debré Hospital, APHP, Paris, France
- Human Genetics and Cognitive Functions, Institute Pasteur, Paris, France
| | - Amaria Baghdadli
- Autism Reference Centre of Languedoc-Roussillon CRA-LR, Excellence Centre for Autism and Neurodevelopmental disorders CeAND, Montpellier University Hospital, MUSE University, Montpellier, France
- CESP Centre de recherche en Épidémiologie et Santé des Populations, INSERM U1178, Villejuif, France
| | - Baptiste Pignon
- Université Paris Est Créteil, INSERM, IMRB, AP-HP, Hôpitaux Universitaires H. Mondor, DMU IMPACT, Fondation FondaMental, Créteil, 94010, France
| | - Boris Chaumette
- Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, Paris, France
- Université Paris Cité, Institute of Psychiatry and Neuroscience of Paris (IPNP), INSERM U1266, Team Pathophysiology of Psychiatric Disorders, Paris, 75014, France
- GHU-Paris Psychiatrie et Neurosciences, Hôpital Sainte Anne, Paris, F-75014, France
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Li X, Zhang W, Ji L, Cao Y. Potential Mechanism Linking Peer Relationships and Adolescent Prosocial Behavior: Mediation of Cognitive Empathy and Moderations of OXTR and DRD2. J Youth Adolesc 2024:10.1007/s10964-024-02023-5. [PMID: 38834755 DOI: 10.1007/s10964-024-02023-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2024] [Accepted: 05/20/2024] [Indexed: 06/06/2024]
Abstract
Peers are important socializers of adolescent prosocial behavior. Still, the proximal cognitive and emotional process underlying this link and the sources of individual differences in sensitivity to peer influence have yet to be explored. Utilizing the gene-gene-environment (G × G × E) approach and multi-informant measurement, this study investigated how peer relationships operate to influence adolescent prosocial behavior by examining the mediating role of cognitive and emotional empathy, and the moderating role of the OXTR and DRD2 genes. The study utilized longitudinal data from a community sample of Chinese adolescents (N = 1080, Mage = 13.32 years at T1). Results showed that cognitive empathy rather than emotional empathy mediated the link between peer acceptance/rejection and prosocial behavior. Furthermore, the association among peer acceptance, cognitive empathy, and prosocial behavior was moderated by OXTR and DRD2. Specifically, adolescents with the combinations of AA/AA or G/G genotypes of OXTR/DRD2 benefited more from peer acceptance compared to their counterparts carrying other combined genotypes. The findings highlight cognitive empathy as a proximal process linking peer interaction to prosocial behavior and lend support to the interaction between oxytocinergic and dopaminergic systems on environmental sensitivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xi Li
- Department of Psychology, Shandong Normal University, Jinan, 250014, Shandong Province, China
| | - Wenxin Zhang
- Department of Psychology, Shandong Normal University, Jinan, 250014, Shandong Province, China.
| | - Linqin Ji
- Department of Psychology, Shandong Normal University, Jinan, 250014, Shandong Province, China
| | - Yanmiao Cao
- Department of Psychology, Shandong Normal University, Jinan, 250014, Shandong Province, China.
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Beversdorf DQ. Understanding the Heterogeneity of Neurodevelopmental Disorders and Its Implications: An Exploration of Repetitive Behaviors. BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY. COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE AND NEUROIMAGING 2024; 9:370-371. [PMID: 38583929 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsc.2024.02.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2024] [Accepted: 02/21/2024] [Indexed: 04/09/2024]
Affiliation(s)
- David Q Beversdorf
- Departments of Radiology, Neurology, and Psychological Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri.
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The shared white matter developmental trajectory anomalies of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and autism spectrum disorders: A meta-analysis of diffusion tensor imaging studies. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2023; 124:110731. [PMID: 36764642 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2023.110731] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2022] [Revised: 01/14/2023] [Accepted: 02/06/2023] [Indexed: 02/11/2023]
Abstract
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) show common brain area abnormalities, which may contribute to the high shared co-occurrence symptoms and comorbidity of the two disorders. However, neuroanatomic anomalies in neurodevelopmental disorders may change over the course of development, and the developmental variation of these two disorders is unclear. Our study conducted a systematic literature search of PubMed, Web of Science, and EMBASE databases to identify disorder-shared abnormalities of white matter (WM) from childhood to adulthood in ADHD and ASD. 28 ADHD and 23 ASD datasets were included in this meta-analysis and were analysed by AES-SDM to detect differences in fractional anisotropy in patients compared to typically developing individuals. Our main findings reveal the variable WM developmental trajectories in ADHD and ASD respectively, and the two disorders showed overlapping corpus callosum tract abnormalities in their development from children to adults. Furthermore, the overlapping abnormalities of the corpus callosum tract increased with age, which may be related to their gradually increasing shared symptoms and comorbidity in these two disorders.
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da Silva BS, Grevet EH, Silva LCF, Ramos JKN, Rovaris DL, Bau CHD. An overview on neurobiology and therapeutics of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. DISCOVER MENTAL HEALTH 2023; 3:2. [PMID: 37861876 PMCID: PMC10501041 DOI: 10.1007/s44192-022-00030-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2022] [Accepted: 12/29/2022] [Indexed: 10/21/2023]
Abstract
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a prevalent psychiatric condition characterized by developmentally inappropriate symptoms of inattention and/or hyperactivity/impulsivity, which leads to impairments in the social, academic, and professional contexts. ADHD diagnosis relies solely on clinical assessment based on symptom evaluation and is sometimes challenging due to the substantial heterogeneity of the disorder in terms of clinical and pathophysiological aspects. Despite the difficulties imposed by the high complexity of ADHD etiology, the growing body of research and technological advances provide good perspectives for understanding the neurobiology of the disorder. Such knowledge is essential to refining diagnosis and identifying new therapeutic options to optimize treatment outcomes and associated impairments, leading to improvements in all domains of patient care. This review is intended to be an updated outline that addresses the etiological and neurobiological aspects of ADHD and its treatment, considering the impact of the "omics" era on disentangling the multifactorial architecture of ADHD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bruna Santos da Silva
- ADHD and Developmental Psychiatry Programs, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Universidade Federal Do Rio Grande Do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
- Department of Genetics and Graduate Program in Genetics and Molecular Biology, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Federal Do Rio Grande Do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Instituto de Ciencias Biomedicas Universidade de Sao Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
- Laboratory of Physiological Genomics of Mental Health (PhysioGen Lab), Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of Sao Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Eugenio Horacio Grevet
- ADHD and Developmental Psychiatry Programs, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Universidade Federal Do Rio Grande Do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
- Department of Psychiatry and Graduate Program in Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal Do Rio Grande Do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | - Luiza Carolina Fagundes Silva
- ADHD and Developmental Psychiatry Programs, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Universidade Federal Do Rio Grande Do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
- Department of Psychiatry and Graduate Program in Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal Do Rio Grande Do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | - João Kleber Neves Ramos
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Instituto de Ciencias Biomedicas Universidade de Sao Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
- Laboratory of Physiological Genomics of Mental Health (PhysioGen Lab), Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of Sao Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Diego Luiz Rovaris
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Instituto de Ciencias Biomedicas Universidade de Sao Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
- Laboratory of Physiological Genomics of Mental Health (PhysioGen Lab), Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of Sao Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Claiton Henrique Dotto Bau
- ADHD and Developmental Psychiatry Programs, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Universidade Federal Do Rio Grande Do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil.
- Department of Genetics and Graduate Program in Genetics and Molecular Biology, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Federal Do Rio Grande Do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil.
- Department of Psychiatry and Graduate Program in Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal Do Rio Grande Do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil.
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7
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Riglin L, Stergiakouli E. Mendelian randomisation studies of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. JCPP ADVANCES 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/jcv2.12117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Lucy Riglin
- Division of Psychological Medicine and Clinical Neurosciences and MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics Cardiff University Cardiff UK
- Wolfson Centre for Young People's Mental Health Cardiff UK
| | - Evie Stergiakouli
- MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit University of Bristol Bristol UK
- Population Health Sciences Bristol Medical School University of Bristol Bristol UK
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Saccaro LF, Gasparini S, Rutigliano G. Applications of Mendelian randomization in psychiatry: a comprehensive systematic review. Psychiatr Genet 2022; 32:199-213. [PMID: 36354137 PMCID: PMC9648985 DOI: 10.1097/ypg.0000000000000327] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2022] [Accepted: 08/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Psychiatric diseases exact a heavy socioeconomic toll, and it is particularly difficult to identify their risk factors and causative mechanisms due to their multifactorial nature, the limited physiopathological insight, the many confounding factors, and the potential reverse causality between the risk factors and psychiatric diseases. These characteristics make Mendelian randomization (MR) a precious tool for studying these disorders. MR is an analytical method that employs genetic variants linked to a certain risk factor, to assess if an observational association between that risk factor and a health outcome is compatible with a causal relationship. We report the first systematic review of all existing applications and findings of MR in psychiatric disorders, aiming at facilitating the identification of risk factors that may be common to different psychiatric diseases, and paving the way to transdiagnostic MR studies in psychiatry, which are currently lacking. We searched Web of Knowledge, Scopus, and Pubmed databases (until 3 May 2022) for articles on MR in psychiatry. The protocol was preregistered in PROSPERO (CRD42021285647). We included methodological details and results from 50 articles, mainly on schizophrenia, major depression, autism spectrum disorders, and bipolar disorder. While this review shows how MR can offer unique opportunities for unraveling causal links in risk factors and etiological elements of specific psychiatric diseases and transdiagnostically, some methodological flaws in the existing literature limit reliability of results and probably underlie their heterogeneity. We highlight perspectives and recommendations for future works on MR in psychiatry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luigi F. Saccaro
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Campus Biotech, Geneva, Switzerland
- Department of Psychiatry, Geneva University Hospital, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Simone Gasparini
- Institute of Life Sciences, Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies, Pisa, Italy
| | - Grazia Rutigliano
- Institute of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK
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9
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Sellers R, Riglin L, Harold GT, Thapar A. Using genetic designs to identify likely causal environmental contributions to psychopathology. Dev Psychopathol 2022; 34:1-13. [PMID: 36200346 DOI: 10.1017/s0954579422000906] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
The multifactorial nature of psychopathology, whereby both genetic and environmental factors contribute risk, has long been established. In this paper, we provide an update on genetically informative designs that are utilized to disentangle genetic and environmental contributions to psychopathology. We provide a brief reminder of quantitative behavioral genetic research designs that have been used to identify potentially causal environmental processes, accounting for genetic contributions. We also provide an overview of recent molecular genetic approaches that utilize genome-wide association study data which are increasingly being applied to questions relevant to psychopathology research. While genetically informative designs typically have been applied to investigate the origins of psychopathology, we highlight how these approaches can also be used to elucidate potential causal environmental processes that contribute to developmental course and outcomes. We highlight the need to use genetically sensitive designs that align with intervention and prevention science efforts, by considering strengths-based environments to investigate how positive environments can mitigate risk and promote children's strengths.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruth Sellers
- Brighton & Sussex Medical School, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK
| | - Lucy Riglin
- Division of Psychological Medicine and Clinical Neurosciences, MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
- Wolfson Centre for Young People's Mental Health, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - Gordon T Harold
- Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- School of Medicine, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Unit, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Anita Thapar
- Division of Psychological Medicine and Clinical Neurosciences, MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
- Wolfson Centre for Young People's Mental Health, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
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ADHD and its neurocognitive substrates: A two sample Mendelian randomization study. Transl Psychiatry 2022; 12:378. [PMID: 36085199 PMCID: PMC9463186 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-022-02139-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2022] [Revised: 08/17/2022] [Accepted: 08/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is associated with a wide array of neural and cognitive features, and other psychiatric disorders, identified mainly through cross-sectional associations studies. However, it is unclear if the disorder is causally associated with these neurocognitive features. Here, we applied a two-sample bidirectional Mendelian randomization (MR) study to summary GWAS data to explore the presence and direction of a causal effect between ADHD and a range of neurocognitive features and other psychiatric disorders. The inverse variance weighted method was used in the main analysis, and two MR methods (MR-Egger, weighted median) were used for robustness checks. We found that genetic risk for ADHD was causally associated with a decreased area of lateral orbitofrontal cortex. Conversely, we found that brain volume and some features of intrinsic functional connectivity had causal effects on ADHD risk. Bidirectional causal links were found between ADHD and adult general intelligence, as well as depression and autistic spectrum disorders. Such work highlights the important ties between ADHD and general cognitive ability, and suggest some neural features, previously merely associated with the disorder, may play a causal role in its pathogenesis.
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Novel biological insights into the common heritable liability to substance involvement: a multivariate genome-wide association study. Biol Psychiatry 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2022.07.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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12
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Pingault JB, Richmond R, Davey Smith G. Causal Inference with Genetic Data: Past, Present, and Future. Cold Spring Harb Perspect Med 2022; 12:a041271. [PMID: 34580080 PMCID: PMC8886738 DOI: 10.1101/cshperspect.a041271] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
The set of methods discussed in this collection has emerged from the convergence of two scientific fields-genetics and causal inference. In this introduction, we discuss relevant aspects of each field and show how their convergence arises from the natural experiments that genetics offer. We present introductory concepts useful to readers unfamiliar with genetically informed methods for causal inference. We conclude that existing applications and foreseeable developments should ensure that we rapidly reap the rewards of this relatively new field, not only in terms of our understanding of human disease and development, but also in terms of tangible translational applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jean-Baptiste Pingault
- Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, University College London, London WC1H 0AP United Kingdom
| | - Rebecca Richmond
- MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit, Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TH, United Kingdom
| | - George Davey Smith
- MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit, Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TH, United Kingdom
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Franke B, Fombonne E, Ronald A. Editorial: The new genetics of autism. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 2021; 62:1271-1273. [PMID: 34708425 DOI: 10.1111/jcpp.13527] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Barbara Franke
- Departments of Human Genetics and Psychiatry, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Eric Fombonne
- Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA
| | - Angelica Ronald
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Birkbeck, University of London, London, UK
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