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Taams NE, Knol MJ, Hanewinckel R, Drenthen J, Reilly MM, van Doorn PA, Adams HHH, Ikram MA. Association of common genetic variants with chronic axonal polyneuropathy in the general population: a genome-wide association study. Front Neurol 2024; 15:1422824. [PMID: 39022727 PMCID: PMC11253699 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2024.1422824] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2024] [Accepted: 06/14/2024] [Indexed: 07/20/2024] Open
Abstract
IntroductionDisease susceptibility of chronic axonal polyneuropathy is not fully explained by clinical risk factors. Therefore, we determined the contribution of common genetic variants in chronic axonal polyneuropathy in the general population.MethodsThis study was performed in two population-based studies. Polyneuropathy diagnosis was based on screening in the Rotterdam Study and on ICD-10 codes in the UK Biobank. We determined the heritability of the sural nerve amplitude and performed genome-wide association studies of chronic axonal polyneuropathy and sural sensory nerve amplitude. Furthermore, we zoomed in on variants in and surrounding 100 autosomal genes known to cause polyneuropathy based on literature and expert knowledge (candidate genes), and we performed a gene-based analysis. Analyses were adjusted for age, sex and population stratification.ResultsChronic axonal polyneuropathy was present in 2,357 of the 458,567 participants and 54.3% of the total population was female. Heritability of sural nerve amplitude was 0.49 (p = 0.067) (N = 1,153). No variants (p < 5.0×10−8) or genes (p < 2.7×10−6) reached genome-wide significance for its association with polyneuropathy. Focusing on variants in and surrounding the candidate genes in the GWAS (p < 3.9×10−6) and on these genes in the gene-based analysis (p < 5.0×10−4) neither yielded significant results.DiscussionWe did not find common variants associated with chronic axonal polyneuropathy in the general population. Larger studies are needed to determine if genetic susceptibility based on both common and rare genetic variants affect the risk for chronic axonal polyneuropathy in the general population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noor E. Taams
- Department of Epidemiology, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, Netherlands
- Department of Neurology, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, Netherlands
| | - Maria J. Knol
- Department of Epidemiology, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, Netherlands
| | - Rens Hanewinckel
- Department of Neurology, Canisius Wilhelmina Hospital, Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Judith Drenthen
- Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, Netherlands
| | - Mary M. Reilly
- Centre for Neuromuscular Diseases, Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology and National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, London, United Kingdom
| | - Pieter A. van Doorn
- Department of Neurology, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, Netherlands
| | - Hieab H. H. Adams
- Department of Human Genetics, Radboud UMC, Nijmegen, Netherlands
- Latin American Brain Health (BrainLat), Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Santiago, Chile
| | - M. Arfan Ikram
- Department of Epidemiology, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, Netherlands
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Li S, Brimmers A, van Boekel RL, Vissers KC, Coenen MJ. A systematic review of genome-wide association studies for pain, nociception, neuropathy, and pain treatment responses. Pain 2023; 164:1891-1911. [PMID: 37144689 PMCID: PMC10436363 DOI: 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000002910] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2022] [Revised: 02/07/2023] [Accepted: 02/10/2023] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
ABSTRACT Pain is the leading cause of disability worldwide, imposing an enormous burden on personal health and society. Pain is a multifactorial and multidimensional problem. Currently, there is (some) evidence that genetic factors could partially explain individual susceptibility to pain and interpersonal differences in pain treatment response. To better understand the underlying genetic mechanisms of pain, we systematically reviewed and summarized genome-wide association studies (GWASes) investigating the associations between genetic variants and pain/pain-related phenotypes in humans. We reviewed 57 full-text articles and identified 30 loci reported in more than 1 study. To check whether genes described in this review are associated with (other) pain phenotypes, we searched 2 pain genetic databases, Human Pain Genetics Database and Mouse Pain Genetics Database. Six GWAS-identified genes/loci were also reported in those databases, mainly involved in neurological functions and inflammation. These findings demonstrate an important contribution of genetic factors to the risk of pain and pain-related phenotypes. However, replication studies with consistent phenotype definitions and sufficient statistical power are required to validate these pain-associated genes further. Our review also highlights the need for bioinformatic tools to elucidate the function of identified genes/loci. We believe that a better understanding of the genetic background of pain will shed light on the underlying biological mechanisms of pain and benefit patients by improving the clinical management of pain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Song Li
- Department of Human Genetics, Radboud Institute for Health Sciences, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands. Coenen is now with the Department of Clinical Chemistry, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Annika Brimmers
- Department of Human Genetics, Radboud Institute for Health Sciences, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands. Coenen is now with the Department of Clinical Chemistry, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Regina L.M. van Boekel
- Department of Anesthesiology, Pain and Palliative Medicine, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Kris C.P. Vissers
- Department of Anesthesiology, Pain and Palliative Medicine, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Marieke J.H. Coenen
- Department of Human Genetics, Radboud Institute for Health Sciences, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands. Coenen is now with the Department of Clinical Chemistry, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
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Farrell SF, Kho PF, Lundberg M, Campos AI, Rentería ME, de Zoete RMJ, Sterling M, Ngo TT, Cuéllar-Partida G. A Shared Genetic Signature for Common Chronic Pain Conditions and its Impact on Biopsychosocial Traits. THE JOURNAL OF PAIN 2023; 24:369-386. [PMID: 36252619 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpain.2022.10.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2022] [Revised: 09/28/2022] [Accepted: 10/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
The multiple comorbidities & dimensions of chronic pain present a formidable challenge in disentangling its aetiology. Here, we performed genome-wide association studies of 8 chronic pain types using UK Biobank data (N =4,037-79,089 cases; N = 239,125 controls), followed by bivariate linkage disequilibrium-score regression and latent causal variable analyses to determine (respectively) their genetic correlations and genetic causal proportion (GCP) parameters with 1,492 other complex traits. We report evidence of a shared genetic signature across chronic pain types as their genetic correlations and GCP directions were broadly consistent across an array of biopsychosocial traits. Across 5,942 significant genetic correlations, 570 trait pairs could be explained by a causal association (|GCP| >0.6; 5% false discovery rate), including 82 traits affected by pain while 410 contributed to an increased risk of chronic pain (cf. 78 with a decreased risk) such as certain somatic pathologies (eg, musculoskeletal), psychiatric traits (eg, depression), socioeconomic factors (eg, occupation) and medical comorbidities (eg, cardiovascular disease). This data-driven phenome-wide association analysis has demonstrated a novel and efficient strategy for identifying genetically supported risk & protective traits to enhance the design of interventional trials targeting underlying causal factors and accelerate the development of more effective treatments with broader clinical utility. PERSPECTIVE: Through large-scale phenome-wide association analyses of >1,400 biopsychosocial traits, this article provides evidence for a shared genetic signature across 8 common chronic pain types. It lays the foundation for further translational studies focused on identifying causal genetic variants and pathophysiological pathways to develop novel diagnostic & therapeutic technologies and strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Scott F Farrell
- RECOVER Injury Research Centre, The University of Queensland, Herston, Queensland, Australia; NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence: Better Health Outcomes for Compensable Injury, The University of Queensland, Herston, Queensland, Australia; Tess Cramond Pain & Research Centre, Royal Brisbane & Women's Hospital, Herston, Queensland, Australia.
| | - Pik-Fang Kho
- Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California; Molecular Cancer Epidemiology Laboratory, Population Health Program, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Herston, Queensland, Australia; School of Biomedical Sciences, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Mischa Lundberg
- UQ Diamantina Institute, The University of Queensland & Translational Research Institute, Woolloongabba, Queensland, Australia; Transformational Bioinformatics, CSIRO Health & Biosecurity, North Ryde, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Adrián I Campos
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, Australia; Genetic Epidemiology Laboratory, Mental Health & Neuroscience Program, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Herston, Queensland, Australia
| | - Miguel E Rentería
- Genetic Epidemiology Laboratory, Mental Health & Neuroscience Program, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Herston, Queensland, Australia
| | - Rutger M J de Zoete
- School of Allied Health Science and Practice, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | - Michele Sterling
- RECOVER Injury Research Centre, The University of Queensland, Herston, Queensland, Australia; NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence: Better Health Outcomes for Compensable Injury, The University of Queensland, Herston, Queensland, Australia
| | - Trung Thanh Ngo
- RECOVER Injury Research Centre, The University of Queensland, Herston, Queensland, Australia
| | - Gabriel Cuéllar-Partida
- UQ Diamantina Institute, The University of Queensland & Translational Research Institute, Woolloongabba, Queensland, Australia
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