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Muniz Carvalho C, Wendt FR, Pathak GA, Maihofer AX, Stein DJ, Sumner JA, Hemmings SM, Nievergelt CM, Koenen KC, Gelernter J, Belangero SI, Polimanti R. Disentangling sex differences in the shared genetic architecture of posttraumatic stress disorder, traumatic experiences, and social support with body size and composition. Neurobiol Stress 2021; 15:100400. [PMID: 34611531 PMCID: PMC8477211 DOI: 10.1016/j.ynstr.2021.100400] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2021] [Revised: 09/04/2021] [Accepted: 09/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/03/2022] Open
Abstract
There is a well-known association of traumatic experiences and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) with body size and composition, including consistent differences between sexes. However, the biology underlying these associations is unclear. To understand the genetic underpinnings of this complex relationship, we investigated genome-wide datasets informative of African and European ancestries from the Psychiatric Genomic Consortium, the UK Biobank, the GIANT Consortium, and the Million Veteran Program. We used genome-wide association statistics to estimate sex-specific genetic correlations (r g ) of traumatic experiences, social support, and PTSD with multiple anthropometric traits. After multiple testing corrections (false discovery rate, FDR q < 0.05), we observed 58 significant r g relationships in females (e.g., childhood physical abuse and body mass index, BMI r g = 0.245, p = 3.88 × 10-10) and 21 significant r g relationships in males (e.g., been involved in combat or exposed to warzone and leg fat percentage; r g = 0.405, p = 4.42 × 10-10). We performed causal inference analyses of these genetic overlaps using Mendelian randomization and latent causal variable approaches. Multiple female-specific putative causal relationships were observed linking body composition/size with PTSD (e.g., leg fat percentage→PTSD; beta = 0.319, p = 3.13 × 10-9), traumatic experiences (e.g., childhood physical abuse→waist circumference; beta = 0.055, p = 5.07 × 10-4), and childhood neglect (e.g., "someone to take you to doctor when needed as a child"→BMI; beta = -0.594, p = 1.09 × 10-5). In males, we observed putative causal effects linking anthropometric-trait genetic liabilities to traumatic experiences (e.g., BMI→childhood physical abuse; beta = 0.028, p = 8.19 × 10-3). Some of these findings were replicated in individuals of African descent although the limited sample size available did not permit us to conduct a sex-stratified analysis in this ancestry group. In conclusion, our findings provide insights regarding sex-specific causal networks linking anthropometric traits to PTSD, traumatic experiences, and social support.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolina Muniz Carvalho
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine and VA CT Healthcare Center, West Haven, CT, 06516, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP), São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Frank R. Wendt
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine and VA CT Healthcare Center, West Haven, CT, 06516, USA
| | - Gita A. Pathak
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine and VA CT Healthcare Center, West Haven, CT, 06516, USA
| | - Adam X. Maihofer
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Center of Excellence for Stress and Mental Health, Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Dan J. Stein
- MRC Unit on Risk & Resilience in Mental Disorders, Department of Psychiatry and Neuroscience Institute, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Jennifer A. Sumner
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Sian M.J. Hemmings
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Caroline M. Nievergelt
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Center of Excellence for Stress and Mental Health, Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Karestan C. Koenen
- Department of Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Joel Gelernter
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine and VA CT Healthcare Center, West Haven, CT, 06516, USA
- Departments of Genetics and Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06510, USA
| | - Sintia I. Belangero
- Department of Psychiatry, Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP), São Paulo, SP, Brazil
- Genetics Division, Department of Morphology and Genetics, Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP), São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Renato Polimanti
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine and VA CT Healthcare Center, West Haven, CT, 06516, USA
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Bountress KE, Wendt F, Bustamante D, Agrawal A, Webb B, Gillespie N, Edenberg H, Sheerin C, Johnson E, Polimanti R, Amstadter A. Potential causal effect of posttraumatic stress disorder on alcohol use disorder and alcohol consumption in individuals of European descent: A Mendelian Randomization Study. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 2021; 45:1616-1623. [PMID: 34120358 PMCID: PMC8429238 DOI: 10.1111/acer.14649] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2021] [Revised: 04/22/2021] [Accepted: 05/27/2021] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) often co-occurs with alcohol consumption (AC) and alcohol use disorder (AUD). However, it is unknown whether the same etiologic influences that underlie PTSD co-occurring with AUD are those that underlie PTSD and AC individually. METHODS This study used large-scale genome-wide association study (GWAS) data to test whether PTSD and drinks per week [DPW]/AUD are causally related to one another, and, if so, whether PTSD precedes DPW/AUD and/or vice versa. We used Mendelian Randomization methods to analyze European ancestry GWAS summary statistics from the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium (PGC; PTSD), GWAS & Sequencing Consortium of Alcohol and Nicotine Use (GSCAN; DPW), and the Million Veteran Program (MVP; AUD). RESULTS PTSD exerted a potentially causal effect on AUD (β = 0.039, SE = 0.014, p = 0.005), but not on DPW (β = 0.002, SE = 0.003, p = 0.414). Additionally, neither DPW (β = 0.019, SE = 0.041, p = 0.637) nor AUD (β = 8.87 × 10-4 , SE = 0.001, p = 0.441) exerted a causal effect on PTSD. CONCLUSIONS These findings are consistent with the self-medication model, in which individuals misuse alcohol to cope with aversive trauma-related symptoms. These findings extend latent analysis and molecular findings of shared and correlated risk between PTSD and alcohol phenotypes. Given the health behaviors associated with these phenotypes, these findings are important in that they suggest groups to prioritize for prevention efforts. Further, they provide a rationale for future preclinical and clinical studies examining the biological mechanisms by which PTSD may impact AUD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaitlin E. Bountress
- Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics, Virginia Commonwealth University
| | | | - Daniel Bustamante
- Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics, Virginia Commonwealth University
| | - Arpana Agrawal
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University in St. Louis
| | - Bradley Webb
- Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics, Virginia Commonwealth University
| | - Nathan Gillespie
- Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics, Virginia Commonwealth University
| | - Howard Edenberg
- Departments of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Medical and Molecular Genetics, Indiana University
| | - Christina Sheerin
- Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics, Virginia Commonwealth University
| | - Emma Johnson
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University in St. Louis
| | | | | | - Ananda Amstadter
- Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics, Virginia Commonwealth University
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Muniz Carvalho C, Wendt FR, Maihofer AX, Stein DJ, Stein MB, Sumner JA, Hemmings SMJ, Nievergelt CM, Koenen KC, Gelernter J, Belangero SI, Polimanti R. Dissecting the genetic association of C-reactive protein with PTSD, traumatic events, and social support. Neuropsychopharmacology 2021; 46:1071-1077. [PMID: 32179874 PMCID: PMC8115274 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-020-0655-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2019] [Revised: 03/03/2020] [Accepted: 03/06/2020] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Inflammatory markers like C-reactive protein (CRP) have been associated with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic experiences, but the underlying mechanisms are unclear. We investigated the relationship among serum CRP, PTSD, and traits related to traumatic events and social support using genetic association data from the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium (23,185 PTSD cases and 151,309 controls), the UK Biobank (UKB; up to 117,900 individuals), and the CHARGE study (Cohorts for Heart and Aging Research in Genomic Epidemiology, 148,164 individual). Linkage disequilibrium score regression, polygenic risk scoring, and two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analyses were used to investigate genetic overlap and causal relationships. Genetic correlations of CRP were observed with PTSD (rg = 0.16, p = 0.026) and traits related to traumatic events, and the presence of social support (-0.28 < rg < 0.20; p < 0.008). We observed a bidirectional association between CRP and PTSD (CRP → PTSD: β = 0.065, p = 0.015; PTSD → CRP: β = 0.008, p = 0.009). CRP also showed a negative association with the "felt loved as a child" trait (UKB, β = -0.017, p = 0.008). Owing to the known association of socioeconomic status (SES) on PTSD, a multivariable MR was performed to investigate SES as potential mediator. We found that household income (univariate MR: β = -0.22, p = 1.57 × 10-7; multivariate MR: β = -0.17, p = 0.005) and deprivation index (univariate MR: β = 0.38, p = 1.63 × 10-9; multivariate MR: β = 0.27, p = 0.016) were driving the causal estimates of "felt loved as a child" and CRP on PTSD. The present findings highlight a bidirectional genetic association between PTSD and CRP, also suggesting a potential role of SES in the interplay between childhood support and inflammatory processes with respect to PTSD risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolina Muniz Carvalho
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine and VA CT Healthcare Center, West Haven, CT, 06516, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP), São Paulo, SP, Brazil
- Genetics Division, Department of Morphology and Genetics, Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP), São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Frank R Wendt
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine and VA CT Healthcare Center, West Haven, CT, 06516, USA
| | - Adam X Maihofer
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Center of Excellence for Stress and Mental Health, Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Dan J Stein
- MRC Unit on Risk & Resilience in Mental Disorders, Department of Psychiatry and Neuroscience Institute, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Murray B Stein
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Psychiatry Service, Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Jennifer A Sumner
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Sian M J Hemmings
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Caroline M Nievergelt
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Center of Excellence for Stress and Mental Health, Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Karestan C Koenen
- Department of Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Joel Gelernter
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine and VA CT Healthcare Center, West Haven, CT, 06516, USA
- Departments of Genetics and Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06510, USA
| | - Sintia I Belangero
- Department of Psychiatry, Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP), São Paulo, SP, Brazil
- Genetics Division, Department of Morphology and Genetics, Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP), São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Renato Polimanti
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine and VA CT Healthcare Center, West Haven, CT, 06516, USA.
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Polimanti R, Levey DF, Pathak GA, Wendt FR, Nunez YZ, Ursano RJ, Kessler RC, Kranzler HR, Stein MB, Gelernter J. Multi-environment gene interactions linked to the interplay between polysubstance dependence and suicidality. Transl Psychiatry 2021; 11:34. [PMID: 33431810 PMCID: PMC7801457 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-020-01153-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2020] [Revised: 11/27/2020] [Accepted: 12/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Substance dependence diagnoses (SDs) are important risk factors for suicidality. We investigated the associations of multiple SDs with different suicidality outcomes, testing how genetic background moderates these associations. The Yale-Penn cohort (N = 15,557) was recruited to investigate the genetics of SDs. The Army STARRS (Study to Assess Risk and Resilience in Servicemembers) cohort (N = 11,236) was recruited to evaluate mental health risk and resilience among Army personnel. We applied multivariate logistic regression to investigate the associations of SDs with suicidality and, in the Yale-Penn cohort, we used the structured linear mixed model (StructLMM) to study multivariate gene-environment interactions. In Yale-Penn, lifetime polysubstance dependence was strongly associated with lifetime suicidality: having five SDs showed an association with suicidality, from odds ratio (OR) = 6.77 (95% confidence interval, CI = 5.74-7.99) for suicidal ideation (SI) to OR = 3.61 (95% CI = 2.7-4.86) for suicide attempt (SA). In Army STARRS, having multiple substance use disorders for alcohol and/or drugs was associated with increased suicidality ranging from OR = 2.88 (95% CI = 2.6-3.19) for SI to OR = 3.92 (95% CI = 3.19-4.81) for SA. In Yale-Penn, we identified multivariate gene-environment interactions (Bayes factors, BF > 0) of SI with respect to a gene cluster on chromosome 16 (LCAT, p = 1.82 × 10-7; TSNAXIP1, p = 2.13 × 10-7; CENPT, p = 2.32 × 10-7; PARD6A, p = 5.57 × 10-7) for opioid dependence (BF = 12.2), cocaine dependence (BF = 12.1), nicotine dependence (BF = 9.2), and polysubstance dependence (BF = 2.1). Comorbidity of multiple SDs is a significant associated with suicidality and heritability of suicidality is partially moderated by multivariate gene interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Renato Polimanti
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, Yale University, West Haven, CT, USA. .,Veteran Affairs CT Healthcare System, West Haven, CT, USA.
| | - Daniel F. Levey
- grid.47100.320000000419368710Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, Yale University, West Haven, CT USA ,Veteran Affairs CT Healthcare System, West Haven, CT USA
| | - Gita A. Pathak
- grid.47100.320000000419368710Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, Yale University, West Haven, CT USA ,Veteran Affairs CT Healthcare System, West Haven, CT USA
| | - Frank R. Wendt
- grid.47100.320000000419368710Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, Yale University, West Haven, CT USA ,Veteran Affairs CT Healthcare System, West Haven, CT USA
| | - Yaira Z. Nunez
- grid.47100.320000000419368710Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, Yale University, West Haven, CT USA ,Veteran Affairs CT Healthcare System, West Haven, CT USA
| | - Robert J. Ursano
- grid.265436.00000 0001 0421 5525Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress, Department of Psychiatry, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD USA
| | - Ronald C. Kessler
- grid.38142.3c000000041936754XDepartment of Health Care Policy, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA USA
| | - Henry R. Kranzler
- grid.25879.310000 0004 1936 8972University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA USA ,grid.410355.60000 0004 0420 350XCrescenz Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA USA
| | - Murray B. Stein
- grid.266100.30000 0001 2107 4242Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA USA ,grid.410371.00000 0004 0419 2708Psychiatry Service, Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA USA
| | - Joel Gelernter
- grid.47100.320000000419368710Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, Yale University, West Haven, CT USA ,Veteran Affairs CT Healthcare System, West Haven, CT USA ,grid.47100.320000000419368710Departments of Genetics and Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510 USA
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Investigating Causality Between Blood Metabolites and Emotional and Behavioral Responses to Traumatic Stress: a Mendelian Randomization Study. Mol Neurobiol 2019; 57:1542-1552. [PMID: 31786776 DOI: 10.1007/s12035-019-01823-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2019] [Accepted: 10/23/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
To investigate the causal relationship between blood metabolites and traits related to trauma-response, we combined genome-wide and metabolome-wide datasets generated from large-scale cohorts. Five trauma-response traits ascertained in the UK Biobank (52,816 < N < 117,900 individuals) were considered: (i) "Avoided activities/situations because of previous stressful experience" (Avoidance); (ii) "Felt distant from other people" (Distant); (iii) "Felt irritable/had angry outbursts" (Irritable); (iv) "Felt very upset when reminded of stressful experience" (Upset); (v) "Repeated disturbing thoughts of stressful experience". These were investigated with respect to 52 blood metabolites tested in a previous genome-wide-association study (N = 24,925 European-ancestry individuals). Linkage disequilibrium score regression, polygenic risk scoring (PRS), and Mendelian randomization were applied to the datasets. We observed that 14 metabolites were genetically correlated with trauma-response traits (p < 0.05). High-resolution PRS of 4 metabolites (citrate; glycoprotein acetyls; concentration of large very-low-density lipoproteins (VLDL) particles (LVLDLP); total cholesterol in medium particles of VLDL (MVLDLC)) were associated with trauma-response traits (false discovery rate Q < 10%). These genetic associations were partially due to causal relationships (Citrate→Upset β = - 0.058, p = 9.1 × 10-4; Glycoproteins→Avoidance β = 0.008, p = 0.003; LVLDLP→Distant β = 0.008, p = 0.022; MVLDLC→Avoidance β = 0.019, p = 3 × 10-4). No reverse associations were observed. In conclusion, our study supports causal relationships between certain blood metabolites and emotional and behavioral responses to traumatic experiences.
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Polimanti R, Ratanatharathorn A, Maihofer AX, Choi KW, Stein MB, Morey RA, Logue MW, Nievergelt CM, Stein DJ, Koenen KC, Gelernter J. Association of Economic Status and Educational Attainment With Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: A Mendelian Randomization Study. JAMA Netw Open 2019; 2:e193447. [PMID: 31050786 PMCID: PMC6503495 DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2019.3447] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2019] [Accepted: 03/19/2019] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Importance There is a well-established negative association of educational attainment (EA) and other traits related to cognitive ability with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. Objectives To investigate the association of PTSD with traits related to EA. Design, Setting, and Participants Genetic correlation, polygenic risk scoring, and mendelian randomization (MR) were conducted including 23 185 individuals with PTSD and 151 309 control participants from the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium for PTSD and up to 1 131 881 individuals assessed for EA and related traits from UK Biobank, 23andMe, and the Social Science Genetic Association Consortium. Data were analyzed from July 3 through November 19, 2018. Main Outcomes and Measures Genetic correlation obtained from linkage disequilibrium score regression, phenotypic variance explained by polygenic risk scores, and association estimates from MR. Results Summary association data from multiple genome-wide association studies were available for a total of 1 180 352 participants (634 391 [53.7%] women). Posttraumatic stress disorder showed negative genetic correlations with EA (rg = -0.26; SE = 0.05; P = 4.60 × 10-8). Mendelian randomization analysis, conducting considering a random-effects inverse-variance weighted method, indicated that EA has a negative association with PTSD (β = -0.23; 95% CI, -0.07 to -0.39; P = .004). Investigating potential mediators of the EA-PTSD association, propensity for trauma exposure and risk-taking behaviors were observed as risk factors for PTSD independent of EA (trauma exposure: β = 0.37; 95% CI, 0.19 to 0.52; P = 2.57 × 10-5; risk-taking: β = 0.76; 95% CI, 0.38 to 1.13; P = 1.13 × 10-4), while income may mediate the association of EA with PSTD (MR income: β = -0.18; 95% CI, -0.29 to -0.07; P = .001; MR EA: β = -0.23; 95% CI, -0.39 to -0.07; P = .004; multivariable MR income: β = -0.32; 95% CI, -0.57 to 0.07; P = .02; multivariable MR EA: β = -0.04; 95% CI, -0.29 to 0.21; SE, 0.13; P = .79). Conclusions and Relevance Large-scale genomic data sets add further evidence to the negative association of EA with PTSD, also supporting the role of economic status as a mediator in the association observed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Renato Polimanti
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, West Haven, Connecticut
- Veterans Affairs Connecticut Healthcare Center, West Haven, Connecticut
| | - Andrew Ratanatharathorn
- Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, New York
| | - Adam X. Maihofer
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of California, San Diego
- Veterans Affairs Center of Excellence for Stress and Mental Health and Research Service, Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, California
| | - Karmel W. Choi
- Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute, Cambridge, Massachusetts
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston
- Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Murray B. Stein
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of California, San Diego
- Psychiatry Service, Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, California
| | - Rajendra A. Morey
- Department of Psychiatry, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
- Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina
| | - Mark W. Logue
- National Center for PTSD Behavioral Science Division, Veterans Affairs Boston Healthcare System, Boston, Massachusetts
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Caroline M. Nievergelt
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of California, San Diego
- Veterans Affairs Center of Excellence for Stress and Mental Health and Research Service, Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, California
| | - Dan J. Stein
- South African Medical Research Council Unit on Risk and Resilience in Mental Disorders, Department of Psychiatry, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Karestan C. Koenen
- Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Joel Gelernter
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, West Haven, Connecticut
- Veterans Affairs Connecticut Healthcare Center, West Haven, Connecticut
- Department of Genetics, School of Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut
- Department of Neuroscience, School of Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut
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Polimanti R, Peterson RE, Ong JS, MacGregor S, Edwards AC, Clarke TK, Frank J, Gerring Z, Gillespie NA, Lind PA, Maes HH, Martin NG, Mbarek H, Medland SE, Streit F, Agrawal A, Edenberg HJ, Kendler KS, Lewis CM, Sullivan PF, Wray NR, Gelernter J, Derks EM. Evidence of causal effect of major depression on alcohol dependence: findings from the psychiatric genomics consortium. Psychol Med 2019; 49:1218-1226. [PMID: 30929657 PMCID: PMC6565601 DOI: 10.1017/s0033291719000667] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Despite established clinical associations among major depression (MD), alcohol dependence (AD), and alcohol consumption (AC), the nature of the causal relationship between them is not completely understood. We leveraged genome-wide data from the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium (PGC) and UK Biobank to test for the presence of shared genetic mechanisms and causal relationships among MD, AD, and AC. METHODS Linkage disequilibrium score regression and Mendelian randomization (MR) were performed using genome-wide data from the PGC (MD: 135 458 cases and 344 901 controls; AD: 10 206 cases and 28 480 controls) and UK Biobank (AC-frequency: 438 308 individuals; AC-quantity: 307 098 individuals). RESULTS Positive genetic correlation was observed between MD and AD (rgMD-AD = + 0.47, P = 6.6 × 10-10). AC-quantity showed positive genetic correlation with both AD (rgAD-AC quantity = + 0.75, P = 1.8 × 10-14) and MD (rgMD-AC quantity = + 0.14, P = 2.9 × 10-7), while there was negative correlation of AC-frequency with MD (rgMD-AC frequency = -0.17, P = 1.5 × 10-10) and a non-significant result with AD. MR analyses confirmed the presence of pleiotropy among these four traits. However, the MD-AD results reflect a mediated-pleiotropy mechanism (i.e. causal relationship) with an effect of MD on AD (beta = 0.28, P = 1.29 × 10-6). There was no evidence for reverse causation. CONCLUSION This study supports a causal role for genetic liability of MD on AD based on genetic datasets including thousands of individuals. Understanding mechanisms underlying MD-AD comorbidity addresses important public health concerns and has the potential to facilitate prevention and intervention efforts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Renato Polimanti
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine and VA CT Healthcare Center, West Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Roseann E. Peterson
- Department of Psychiatry, Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, USA
| | - Jue-Sheng Ong
- Statistical Genetics, QIMR Berghofer, Brisbane, Australia
| | | | - Alexis C. Edwards
- Department of Psychiatry, Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, USA
| | - Toni-Kim Clarke
- Division of Psychiatry, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Josef Frank
- Department of Genetic Epidemiology in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Baden-Württemberg, Germany
| | - Zachary Gerring
- Translational Neurogenomics, QIMR Berghofer, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Nathan A. Gillespie
- Department of Psychiatry, Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, USA
| | | | - Hermine H. Maes
- Department of Psychiatry, Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, USA
- Department of Human and Molecular Genetics, Massey Cancer Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, USA
| | | | - Hamdi Mbarek
- Department of Biological Psychology & EMGO + Institute for Health and Care Research, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | | | - Fabian Streit
- Department of Genetic Epidemiology in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Baden-Württemberg, Germany
| | | | | | | | - Arpana Agrawal
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Howard J. Edenberg
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
| | - Kenneth S. Kendler
- Department of Psychiatry, Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, USA
| | - Cathryn M. Lewis
- Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, UK
| | - Patrick F. Sullivan
- Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
| | - Naomi R. Wray
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
- Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Joel Gelernter
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine and VA CT Healthcare Center, West Haven, Connecticut, USA
- Departments of Genetics and Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Eske M. Derks
- Translational Neurogenomics, QIMR Berghofer, Brisbane, Australia
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