Cited by 2,565Genetic Associations and EpidemiologyNeurotransmitter Receptor Influence on BehaviorTreatment of Major Depression

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 114 of the 114 references it cites were found in a registry or an index; 2 of the 50 sources its claims cite were checked for support.

Genome-wide meta-analysis of depression identifies 102 independent variants and highlights the importance of the prefrontal brain regions

Open access

Published version of a preprint

Abstract

Major depression is a debilitating psychiatric illness that is typically associated with low mood and anhedonia. Depression has a heritable component that has remained difficult to elucidate with current sample sizes due to the polygenic nature of the disorder. To maximize sample size, we meta-analyzed data on 807,553 individuals (246,363 cases and 561,190 controls) from the three largest genome-wide association studies of depression. We identified 102 independent variants, 269 genes, and 15 genesets associated with depression, including both genes and gene pathways associated with synaptic structure and neurotransmission. An enrichment analysis provided further evidence of the importance of prefrontal brain regions. In an independent replication sample of 1,306,354 individuals (414,055 cases and 892,299 controls), 87 of the 102 associated variants were significant after multiple testing correction. These findings advance our understanding of the complex genetic architecture of depression and provide several future avenues for understanding etiology and developing new treatment approaches. The authors conducted a genetic meta-analysis of depression and found 269 associated genes. These genes highlight several potential drug repositioning opportunities, and relationships with depression were found for neuroticism and smoking.

Overview

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1038/s41593-018-0326-7

Cites

114 of 114 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

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Nothing to recompute.

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Claims the paper makes

51 Own result · 36 Not checked yet · 19 Own interpretation · 4 Own method · 1 Partly supported · accuracy not yet measured

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  • It may state two separate claims as one. 38
  • Probably not a substantial claim. 18
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  • The authors state this as an assumption.

    The analysis assumed normal distributions for all data without formally testing this.

    “All data distributions were assumed to be normal but this was not formally tested.”
  • The authors state this as an assumption.

    For Mendelian randomization, the instruments must be associated with the exposure.

    “the genetic variants are associated with the exposure”
  • The authors state this as an assumption.

    For Mendelian randomization, the instruments must not be associated with confounders of the exposure-outcome relationship.

    “the genetic variants are independent of confounders in the exposure-outcome association”
  • The authors state this as an assumption.

    For Mendelian randomization, the instruments must affect the outcome only through the exposure, without horizontal pleiotropy.

    “the genetic variants are associated with the outcome only via their effect on the exposure, i.e. there is no horizontal pleiotropy whereby the variants affect both exposure and outcome independently.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Most antidepressant treatments work by interacting with the serotonergic system.

    “This is surprising, as interaction with the serotonergic system forms the basis of most antidepressant treatments.”
  • The authors state this as an assumption.

    The principal Mendelian randomization test (inverse-variance weighted regression) assumes a zero intercept.

    “This method is based on a regression of the exposure and the outcome which assumes the intercept is constrained to zero”
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Citations

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Research works printed but not linked: 1

  1. First, M. B., Spitzer, R. L., Gibbon, M. & Williams, J. B. W. Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV-TR Axis I Disorders, Research Version, Patient Edition. (SCID-I/P). (BiometricsResearch, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA, 2002).

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Metadata

Authors
Howard, D. M., Adams, M. J., Clarke, T.-K., Hafferty, J. D., Gibson, J., Shirali, M., Coleman, J. R. I., Hagenaars, S. P., Ward, J., Wigmore, E. M., Alloza, C., Shen, X., Barbu, M. C., Xu, E. Y., Whalley, H. C., Marioni, R. E., Porteous, D. J., Davies, G., Deary, I. J., Hemani, G., Berger, K., Teismann, H., Rawal, R., Arolt, V., Baune, B. T., Dannlowski, U., Domschke, K., Tian, C., Hinds, D. A., 23andMe Research Team, Major Depressive Disorder Working Group of the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium, Trzaskowski, M., Byrne, E. M., Ripke, S., Smith, D. J., Sullivan, P. F., Wray, N. R., Breen, G., Lewis, C. M., & McIntosh, A. M.
Affiliations
  • Royal Edinburgh Hospital (GB)
  • King's College London (GB)
  • University of Glasgow (GB)
  • University of Edinburgh (GB)
  • University of Bristol (GB)
  • University of Münster (DE)
  • The University of Melbourne (AU)
  • University of Freiburg (DE)
  • 23andMe (United States) (US)
  • The University of Queensland (AU)
  • Broad Institute (US)
  • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (US)
Corresponding author
Howard, David M.
Venue
Nature Neuroscience
Published
2019-02-04
Volume
22
Issue
3
Pages
343-352
ISSN
  • 1097-6256 (ISSN-L)
  • 1546-1726
OpenAlex
W2911487850
Cited by
2,565
References
114
Citations by year
2026: 235 · 2025: 386 · 2024: 512 · 2023: 452 · 2022: 383 · 2021: 304 · 2020: 206 · 2019: 80
FWCI
32.94
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Nature Neuroscience (publishedVersion)
  • bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) (acceptedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Bristol Research (University of Bristol) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
  • ENLIGHTEN (Jurnal Bimbingan dan Konseling Islam) (acceptedVersion, cc-by-sa)
  • Research Portal (King's College London) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
  • Edinburgh Research Explorer (University of Edinburgh) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
  • Research Portal (Queen's University Belfast) (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust
  • Wellcome Trust (208806, Z/17/Z, 104036/Z/14/Z, 208806/Z/17/Z, 104036, 2016-2021)
  • National Institute for Health and Care Research
  • King's College London
  • Lister Institute of Preventive Medicine
  • Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (Dan3/012/17, grant FOR2107, FOR 2107/ DA1151/5-1, DA 1151/5-2 to UD), DA1151/5-2, TRR‐58, DA1151/5-1, FOR 2107, DA1151, SFB TRR 58)
  • Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (DA1151/5-2, FOR2107 DA1151/5-1, 01ER0816, 01ER1506, 01ER0816 and 01ER1506)
  • Dr Mortimer and Theresa Sackler Foundation
  • Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster (DA1151/5-2, FOR2107 DA1151/5-1)
  • Centre for Cognitive Ageing and Cognitive Epidemiology (MR/K026992/1)
  • Directorate for Biological Sciences
  • Medical Research Council (MC_PC_17209, MR/K026992/1, 104036/Z/14/Z, 11/NW/0382, MR/S015132/1, MR/J000914/1, 1078901, MC_PC_17228)
  • Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (MR/K026992/1)
  • National Institute of Mental Health (U01MH109528, SFB-TRR58, U01MH109536, DA 1151/5-1, U01 MH1095320, MH109528, MH1095320, FOR2107, DA 1151/5-2, U01MH109532)
  • National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (P01ES000040)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Genetics › Genetic Associations and Epidemiology
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Pharmacology (medical) › Treatment of Major Depression
Keywords
major depressive disorder, genetic architecture, genome-wide association study, prefrontal cortex, synaptic structure, neurotransmission, gene pathways, neuroticism, smoking, drug repurposing, heritability
MeSH terms
Depression, Major Depressive Disorder, Female, Humans, Male, Genetic Variation, Cohort Studies, Prefrontal Cortex, Genetic Predisposition to Disease, Multifactorial Inheritance, Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide, Genome-Wide Association Study

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