Association between polygenic risk for Alzheimer's disease and brain structure in children and adults

Genetic architecture of brain morphology and overlap with neuropsychiatric traits

Uncovering the genetic architectures of brain morphology offers valuable insights into brain development and disease. Genetic association studies of brain morphological phenotypes have discovered thousands of loci. However, interpretation of these loci presents a significant challenge. One potential solution is exploring the genetic overlap between brain morphology and disorders, which can improve our understanding of their complex relationships, ultimately aiding in clinical applications. In this review, we examine current evidence on the genetic associations between brain morphology and neuropsychiatric traits. We discuss the impact of these associations on the diagnosis, prediction, and treatment of neuropsychiatric diseases, along with suggestions for future research directions.

Proof-of-concept recall-by-genotype study of extremely low and high Alzheimer's polygenic risk reveals autobiographical deficits and cingulate cortex correlates

BACKGROUND

Genome-wide association studies demonstrate that Alzheimer's disease (AD) has a highly polygenic architecture, where thousands of independent genetic variants explain risk with high classification accuracy. This AD polygenic risk score (AD-PRS) has been previously linked to preclinical cognitive and neuroimaging features observed in asymptomatic individuals. However, shared variance between AD-PRS and neurocognitive features are small, suggesting limited preclinical utility.

METHODS

Here, we recruited sixteen clinically asymptomatic individuals (mean age 67; range 58-76) with either extremely low / high AD-PRS (defined as at least 2 standard deviations from the wider sample mean (N = 4504; N EFFECTIVE = 90)) with comparable age sex and education level. We assessed group differences in autobiographical memory and T1-weighted structural neuroimaging features.

RESULTS

We observed marked reductions in autobiographical recollection (Cohen's d =  - 1.66; P FDR = 0.014) and midline structure (cingulate) thickness (Cohen's d =  - 1.55, P FDR = 0.05), with no difference in hippocampal volume (P > 0.3). We further confirm the negative association between AD-PRS and cingulate thickness in a larger study with a comparable age (N = 31,966, β =  - 0.002, P = 0.011), supporting the validity of our approach.

CONCLUSIONS

These observations conform with multiple streams of prior evidence suggesting alterations in cingulate structures may occur in individuals with higher AD genetic risk. We were able to use a genetically informed research design strategy that significantly improved the efficiency and power of the study. Thus, we further demonstrate that the recall-by-genotype of AD-PRS from wider samples is a promising approach for the detection, assessment, and intervention in specific individuals with increased AD genetic risk.