Cited by 3,010Genetic Associations and EpidemiologySchizophrenia research and treatmentBipolar Disorder and Treatment

Identification of risk loci with shared effects on five major psychiatric disorders: a genome-wide analysis

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·2013·The Lancet

Abstract

Background Findings from family and twin studies suggest that genetic contributions to psychiatric disorders do not in all cases map to present diagnostic categories. We aimed to identify specific variants underlying genetic effects shared between the five disorders in the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium: autism spectrum disorder, attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder, bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder, and schizophrenia.Methods We analysed genome-wide single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) data for the five disorders in 33,332 cases and 27,888 controls of European ancestory. To characterise allelic effects on each disorder, we applied a multinomial logistic regression procedure with model selection to identify the best-fitting model of relations between genotype and phenotype. We examined cross-disorder effects of genome-wide significant loci previously identified for bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, and used polygenic risk-score analysis to examine such effects from a broader set of common variants. We undertook pathway analyses to establish the biological associations underlying genetic overlap for the five disorders. We used enrichment analysis of expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) data to assess whether SNPs with cross-disorder association were enriched for regulatory SNPs in post-mortem brain-tissue samples.Findings SNPs at four loci surpassed the cutoff for genome-wide significance (p<5×10(-8)) in the primary analysis: regions on chromosomes 3p21 and 10q24, and SNPs within two L-type voltage-gated calcium channel subunits, CACNA1C and CACNB2. Model selection analysis supported effects of these loci for several disorders. Loci previously associated with bipolar disorder or schizophrenia had variable diagnostic specificity. Polygenic risk scores showed cross-disorder associations, notably between adult-onset disorders. Pathway analysis supported a role for calcium channel signalling genes for all five disorders. Finally, SNPs with evidence of cross-disorder association were enriched for brain eQTL markers.Interpretation Our findings show that specific SNPs are associated with a range of psychiatric disorders of childhood onset or adult onset. In particular, variation in calcium-channel activity genes seems to have pleiotropic effects on psychopathology. These results provide evidence relevant to the goal of moving beyond descriptive syndromes in psychiatry, and towards a nosology informed by disease cause.Funding National Institute of Mental Health.

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  • On the basis of data from genome-wide association studies (GWAS), approximately 40% of the heritability of ADHD can be attributed to numerous common genetic variants.

    “On the basis of data from genomewide association studies (GWAS), approximately 40% of the heritability of ADHD can be attributed to numerous common genetic variants 37 .”

    From Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (2015) · cites this paper as [37]

    The Results include ADHD in the GWAS dataset and describe substantial polygenic contributions to psychiatric disorders generally. Neither the Results nor the Discussion gives an estimate that common variants account for approximately 40% of ADHD heritability; that central figure is unsupported by our copy. (LLM, conf=0.83)

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  • Mechanisms contributing to the diverse somatic consequences of MDD include unhealthy lifestyle, poorer (self)care adherence, medication side effects, shared pathophysiology including upregulation of immune-endocrine stress systems and genetic pleiotropy.

    “They include unhealthy lifestyle, poorer (self)care adherence, medication side effects, shared pathophysiology including e.g. upregulation of immune-endocrine stress systems and genetic pleiotropy (see 39, 247 for a review that gives more details).”

    From Major depressive disorder (2016) · cites this paper as [39]

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  • Combined GWAS of ADHD, autism spectrum disorders, depression, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia identified four genome-wide significant loci shared by these disorders.

    “Furthermore, combined GWAS of ADHD, autism spectrum disorders, depression, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia identified four genome-wide significant loci shared by these disorders 37 .”

    From Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (2015) · cites this paper as [37]

  • Although self-medication plays a part in the co-occurrence of mental health disorders and substance-related disorders, a shared liability between the disorders likewise plays a role.

    “We suggest that although selfmedication plays a part in the co-occurrence of mental health disorders and substance-related disorders, a shared liability between the disorders likewise plays a role.”

    From Childhood Psychiatric Disorders as Risk Factor for Subsequent Substance Abuse: A Meta-Analysis. (2017) · cites this paper as [64]

    The Introduction and Results discuss shared genetic liability among five psychiatric disorders, but none of the five is a substance-related disorder. Searches for self-medication, substance use, addiction, and alcohol dependence found no passage addressing the claimed co-occurrence or its proposed explanations. (LLM, conf=0.76)

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  • Because psychiatric conditions and ASD share substantial genetic overlap, inherited factors probably contribute to the maternal psychiatric condition-ASD link.

    “Given the significant genetic overlap between various psychiatric conditions and ASD, heritability likely contributes to these relationships (53–55).”

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  1. [1]Kraepelin E Psychiatry. A textbook for students and physicians (translation of the 6th edition of Psychiatrie) 1990 Science History Publications Canton, MA

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Venue
The Lancet
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2013-04
Volume
381
Issue
9875
Pages
1371-1379
ISSN
  • 0099-5355 (ISSN-L)
  • 0140-6736
OpenAlex
W2139852368
Cited by
3,010
References
52
Citations by year
2026: 70 · 2025: 104 · 2024: 141 · 2023: 117 · 2022: 166 · 2021: 223 · 2020: 249 · 2019: 235 · 2018: 282 · 2017: 317 · 2016: 288 · 2015: 322 · 2014: 303 · 2013: 176 · 2012: 3
FWCI
240.86
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • The Lancet (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Pure Amsterdam UMC (publishedVersion)
  • Amsterdam UMC (VU Amsterdam) - Institutional Repository (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
  • QUT ePrints (Queensland University of Technology) (submittedVersion)
  • DuEPublico (University of Duisburg-Essen) (submittedVersion)
  • TSpace (University of Toronto) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
  • UNSWorks (UNSW Sydney) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
  • Research Publications (Maastricht University) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc)
  • ePrints Soton (University of Southampton) (submittedVersion)
  • UCL Discovery (University College London) (submittedVersion)
  • Research Portal (King's College London) (submittedVersion)
  • VBN Forskningsportal (Aalborg Universitet) (submittedVersion)
  • Radboud Repository (Radboud University) (submittedVersion)
  • VU Research Portal (submittedVersion)
  • UNSWorks (University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
  • Hirsla (Landspítali University Hospital) (submittedVersion)
  • Zurich Open Repository and Archive (University of Zurich) (submittedVersion)
  • Research Publications (Maastricht University) (submittedVersion)
  • Data Archiving and Networked Services (DANS) (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • National Institutes of Health
  • National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (K05AA017688)
  • National Institute of Mental Health (R01MH077139, U01MH085520, R01MH100027, R01MH094400, U01MH094421, K99MH101367, MH085520, R01MH083094, K24MH094614, R01MH106595)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Genetics › Genetic Associations and Epidemiology
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Schizophrenia research and treatment
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Bipolar Disorder and Treatment
Keywords
mental illness, genetic susceptibility loci, autism spectrum disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder, schizophrenia, CACNA1C, CACNB2, L-type calcium channels, polygenic risk score, expression quantitative trait loci, pleiotropy, disease classification, childhood-onset disorders
MeSH terms
Adult, Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity, Bipolar Disorder, Child, Child Development Disorders, Pervasive, Depressive Disorder, Major, Major Depressive Disorder, Humans, Schizophrenia, Logistic Models, Age of Onset, Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide, Calcium Channels, L-Type, Genome-Wide Association Study, Genetic Loci

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