Cited by 74Suicide and Self-Harm StudiesGenetic Associations and EpidemiologyNeurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior

Genetic aetiology of self-harm ideation and behaviour

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Campos, Adrian I., Verweij, Karin J. H., Statham, Dixie J., Madden, Pamela A. F., Maciejewski, Dominique F., Davis, Katrina A. S., John, Ann, Hotopf, Matthew +3 more·2020·Scientific Reports

Abstract

Family studies have identified a heritable component to self-harm that is partially independent from comorbid psychiatric disorders. However, the genetic aetiology of broad sense (non-suicidal and suicidal) self-harm has not been characterised on the molecular level. In addition, controversy exists about the degree to which suicidal and non-suicidal self-harm share a common genetic aetiology. In the present study, we conduct genome-wide association studies (GWAS) on lifetime self-harm ideation and self-harm behaviour (i.e. any lifetime self-harm act regardless of suicidal intent) using data from the UK Biobank (n > 156,000). We also perform genome wide gene-based tests and characterize the SNP heritability and genetic correlations between these traits. Finally, we test whether polygenic risk scores (PRS) for self-harm ideation and self-harm behaviour predict suicide attempt, suicide thoughts and non-suicidal self-harm (NSSH) in an independent target sample of 8,703 Australian adults. Our GWAS results identified one genome-wide significant locus associated with each of the two phenotypes. SNP heritability (hsnp2) estimates were ~10%, and both traits were highly genetically correlated (LDSC r g > 0.8). Gene-based tests identified seven genes associated with self-harm ideation and four with self-harm behaviour. Furthermore, in the target sample, PRS for self-harm ideation were significantly associated with suicide thoughts and NSSH, and PRS for self-harm behaviour predicted suicide thoughts and suicide attempt. Follow up regressions identified a shared genetic aetiology between NSSH and suicide thoughts, and between suicide thoughts and suicide attempt. Evidence for shared genetic aetiology between NSSH and suicide attempt was not statistically significant.

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  • Heritability of fatal or nonfatal suicidal behavior and even ideation is moderate.

    “Human genetic studies have made three major observations: 1) heritability of fatal or nonfatal suicidal behavior and even ideation is moderate; 2) heritability of suicidal behavior is independent of major psychiatric syndromes; and 3) heritability of suicidal behavior is mediated by many gene variants of small effect (44-47).”

    From A brain-centric model of suicidal behavior (2020) · cites this paper as [45]

  • Heritability of suicidal behavior is mediated by many gene variants of small effect.

    “Human genetic studies have made three major observations: 1) heritability of fatal or nonfatal suicidal behavior and even ideation is moderate; 2) heritability of suicidal behavior is independent of major psychiatric syndromes; and 3) heritability of suicidal behavior is mediated by many gene variants of small effect (44-47).”

    From A brain-centric model of suicidal behavior (2020) · cites this paper as [45]

  • Heritability of suicidal behavior is independent of major psychiatric syndromes.

    “Human genetic studies have made three major observations: 1) heritability of fatal or nonfatal suicidal behavior and even ideation is moderate; 2) heritability of suicidal behavior is independent of major psychiatric syndromes; and 3) heritability of suicidal behavior is mediated by many gene variants of small effect (44-47).”

    From A brain-centric model of suicidal behavior (2020) · cites this paper as [45]

  • Suicide is moderately heritable independently of the heritability of major psychiatric disorders.

    “Suicide is moderately heritable independently of the heritability of major psychiatric disorders (45, 46).”

    From A brain-centric model of suicidal behavior (2020) · cites this paper as [45]

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  1. [56]Zheng, J. et al. PhenoSpD: an atlas of phenotypic correlations and a multiple testing correction for the human phenome. bioRxiv, 148627 (2017).

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Authors
Campos, A. I., Verweij, K. J. H., Statham, D. J., Madden, P. A. F., Maciejewski, D. F., Davis, K. A. S., John, A., Hotopf, M., Heath, A. C., Martin, N. G., & Rentería, M. E.
Affiliations
  • Amsterdam University Medical Centers (NL)
  • Federation University (AU)
  • Washington University in St. Louis (US)
  • Radboud University Nijmegen (NL)
  • King's College London (GB)
  • Swansea University (GB)
  • QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute (AU)
  • The University of Queensland (AU)
Corresponding author
Rentería, Miguel E.
Venue
Scientific Reports
Published
2020-06-16
Volume
10
Issue
1
Pages
9713-9713
ISSN
2045-2322 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W3035476967
Cited by
74
References
94
Citations by year
2026: 7 · 2025: 9 · 2024: 9 · 2023: 14 · 2022: 16 · 2021: 15 · 2020: 4
FWCI
4.89
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Scientific Reports (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Amsterdam UMC (VU Amsterdam) - Institutional Repository (publishedVersion, other-oa)
  • Pure Amsterdam UMC (acceptedVersion, other-oa)
  • Digital Commons@Becker (Washington University School of Medicine) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • FedUni ResearchOnline (Federation University Australia) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • Data Archiving and Networked Services (DANS) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
  • Research Portal (King's College London) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
  • Radboud Repository (Radboud University) (submittedVersion)
  • Radboud Repository (Radboud University) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
Funders
  • South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust
  • Stichting Volksbond Rotterdam
  • National Institute for Health and Care Research (NF-SI-0515-10102)
  • King's College London
  • University of Queensland
  • National Institutes of Health (389875, AA0758O, AA11998, DA012854, AA07728)
  • Medical Research Council (GNT1102821, MC_PC_17228)
  • Australian Research Council (A79906588, DP0770096, A 79801419, 389875, A7960034, DP0212016, A7960034, A79906588, A79801419, DP0770096, DP0212016 and DP0343921, DP0343921, GNT1102821)
  • National Health and Medical Research Council (A7960034, 496739, A79906588, 628911, 389927, 389891, 552485, 1047956, DP0212016, 552498, 442981, 1102821, 1042580, 389938, 25331, 241944, 339462, 442915, 389875, DA019951, A79801419, DP0770096, 389892)
  • National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (R37AA007728, K05AA017688, R01AA010249, R01AA013321, P50AA011998, R01AA007728, R01AA013326, R01AA013320, R01AA014041, R01AA007535)
  • National Institute on Drug Abuse (R56DA012854, R01DA023668, R01DA018660, R01DA018267, K08DA019951, K21DA000272, R01DA012854, T32DA007261)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Suicide and Self-Harm Studies
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Genetics › Genetic Associations and Epidemiology
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior
Keywords
self-harm, non-suicidal self-injury, suicidal self-harm, self-harm ideation, suicide attempts, genetic aetiology, polygenic risk score, genetic correlation, SNP heritability, gene-based association, genetic overlap
MeSH terms
Adult, Australia, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Risk Factors, Suicide, Attempted, Self-Injurious Behavior, Multifactorial Inheritance, Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide, Databases, Genetic, Genome-Wide Association Study, Suicidal Ideation

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