Cited by 1,177Genetic Associations and EpidemiologySchizophrenia research and treatmentGenomic variations and chromosomal abnormalities

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 207 of the 209 references it cites were found in a registry or an index; none of the 164 sources its claims cite is checked for support yet.

Genetic architectures of psychiatric disorders: the emerging picture and its implications

Open access
Sullivan, Patrick F., Daly, Mark J., O'Donovan, Michael·2012·Nature Reviews Genetics

Abstract

Psychiatric disorders are among the most intractable enigmas in medicine. In the past 5 years, there has been unprecedented progress on the genetics of many of these conditions. In this Review, we discuss the genetics of nine cardinal psychiatric disorders (namely, Alzheimer's disease, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, alcohol dependence, anorexia nervosa, autism spectrum disorder, bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder, nicotine dependence and schizophrenia). Empirical approaches have yielded new hypotheses about aetiology and now provide data on the often debated genetic architectures of these conditions, which have implications for future research strategies. Further study using a balanced portfolio of methods to assess multiple forms of genetic variation is likely to yield many additional new findings.

Overview

AI snapshot

Written from the paper’s full text.

TL;DR

This review synthesizes genetic findings across nine psychiatric disorders and concludes that both rare and common variation contribute across an allelic spectrum, with most disorders being highly polygenic. It argues that larger, balanced genomic studies with statistical rigor are needed to complete the “parts list” and generate biological hypotheses.

Key findings

  • For Alzheimer’s disease, 10 loci identified to date account for ~20% of total variation in risk or ~33% of genetic risk, with APOE the major contributor; pathway analyses implicate cholesterol metabolism and innate immune response.
  • In schizophrenia, a PGC mega-analysis of 9,394 cases and 12,462 controls identified seven genome-wide significant loci; in bipolar disorder, 7,481 cases and 9,250 controls identified two loci. Common polygenic variation in hundreds of loci contributes to schizophrenia and partially overlaps bipolar disorder, with risk profile scores explaining between a quarter and a third of liability variance.
  • In autism spectrum disorder, 5.8% of probands had ≥1 rare de novo structural variant versus 1.7% of unaffected siblings (OR=3.5); exome studies estimate 400–1000 genes, and common variation remains unresolved.
  • A major depressive disorder PGC mega-analysis of 9,240 cases and 9,519 controls found no genome-wide significant findings; ADHD shows increased structural variant burden (OR=2.1; OR=5.7 with mental retardation).

Methods

  • Narrative review of nine psychiatric disorders (Alzheimer’s disease, ADHD, alcohol dependence, anorexia nervosa, autism spectrum disorder, bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder, nicotine dependence, schizophrenia) selected because they have been intensively studied and have published genome-wide results.
  • Synthesizes published genome-wide association, structural variation, linkage, candidate gene, and exome/sequencing studies, emphasizing findings that meet community standards for replication.
  • Uses tables, figures, and an allelic spectrum synthesis; no new primary data or meta-analysis are reported.

Limitations

  • Stated: many published GWAS are small and underpowered (e.g., ASD, ADHD, AN, ALC); MDD null results likely reflect high heterogeneity and lower heritability; no comprehensive “parts list” exists for any psychiatric disorder; pathway analyses have limitations in pathway definition, significance thresholds, and null expectations.
  • Stated: exonic variation studies face background neutral variation and false-positive concerns, requiring large samples and statistical rigor; funding constraints are noted.
  • Evident: as a narrative review, it does not conduct a systematic search or quantitative synthesis, so conclusions depend on the selected literature and available published data.

Model-written summary. Check it against the paper before relying on it.

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1038/nrg3240

Cites

207 of 207 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Nothing to recompute.

Verification

Claims the paper makes

0 of 164 cited sources checked · 0 supported · 0 flagged

Show all 72 claims

  • It may state two separate claims as one. 49
  • Probably not a substantial claim. 20
61 of 61
  • The authors state this as an assumption.

    Pathway analysis is based on the assumption that risk variants for a disease will converge on sets of genes whose functions are more closely related to each other than to random sets of genes.

    “Pathway analysis is based on the assumption that risk variants for a disease will converge on sets of genes whose functions are more closely related to each other than to random sets of genes.”
  • The authors state this as an assumption.

    For rare variants in complex diseases, pathway analysis will by necessity be based on sets of genes whose involvement in disease is unclear (e.g., genes with a single observed de novo exonic deleterious mutation).

    “For rare variants in complex diseases, based on recent empirical results for ASD, it is probably reasonable to assume that pathway analysis will by necessity be based on sets of genes whose involvement in disease is unclear (e.g., genes with a single observed de novo exonic deleterious mutation). 83,84”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Common variation plays a clear role in other psychiatric disorders.

    “given that detailed studies of rare variation currently explain a fraction of risk and that common variation plays a clear role in other psychiatric disorders.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    The genomic search space is large but finite.

    “The genomic search space is large but finite and so, in theory, elucidating the parts list for a psychiatric disorder could be achieved.”
4 of 4

Claims other papers make about this one

Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?

Self-check

Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.

Each contradiction between two passages listed here was confirmed by an independent check.

  • Conflicting conclusions about whether ASD risk can be entirely due to rare variants

    Major

    The paper says the available evidence cannot establish or rule out a role for common genetic variation in ASD, but later says an architecture consisting entirely of rare variants is inconsistent with the ASD data. The latter conclusion rules out what the former says remains possible.

1 of 1

Citations

Cites

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2 of the 209 references couldn’t be matched to a known paper.

Research works printed but not linked: 1

  1. World Health Organization. The Global Burden of Disease: 2004 Update (WHO Press, 2008).

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Metadata

Authors
Sullivan, P. F., Daly, M. J., & O'Donovan, M.
Affiliations
  • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (US)
  • Harvard University (US)
Corresponding author
Sullivan, Patrick F.
Venue
Nature Reviews Genetics
Published
2012-07-10
Volume
13
Issue
8
Pages
537-551
ISSN
  • 1471-0056 (ISSN-L)
  • 1471-0064
OpenAlex
W2017826413
Cited by
1,177
References
209
Citations by year
2026: 35 · 2025: 56 · 2024: 37 · 2023: 41 · 2022: 58 · 2021: 68 · 2020: 84 · 2019: 91 · 2018: 103 · 2017: 107 · 2016: 107 · 2015: 127 · 2014: 150 · 2013: 90 · 2012: 21
FWCI
15.22
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Nature Reviews Genetics (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
  • ORCA Online Research @Cardiff (Cardiff University) (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • Wellcome Trust
  • National Institutes of Health
  • Medical Research Council
  • National Institute of Mental Health (R01MH077139, U01MH085520, MH085520, MH077139)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Genetics › Genetic Associations and Epidemiology
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Schizophrenia research and treatment
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Genetics › Genomic variations and chromosomal abnormalities
Keywords
mental illness, genetic architecture, genome-wide association study, structural variants, exome sequencing, Alzheimer's disease, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, alcoholism, anorexia nervosa, autism spectrum disorder, bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder, nicotine dependence, schizophrenia, genetic aetiology
MeSH terms
Alcoholism, Alzheimer Disease, Anorexia Nervosa, Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity, Mental Disorders, Bipolar Disorder, Child, Child Development Disorders, Pervasive, Major Depressive Disorder, Humans, Models, Genetic, Schizophrenia, Tobacco Use Disorder

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