Genome-wide significant loci for addiction and anxiety

Authors

Karen Hodgson
Laura Almasy, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
Emma E. M. Knowles
Jack W. Kent Jr.
Joanne E. Curran, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
Thomas D. Dyer, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
Harald H. H. Goring, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
Rene L. Olvera
Peter T. Fox
Godfrey D. Pearlson
J. H. Krystal
Ravindranath Duggirala, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
John Blangero, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
David C. Glahn

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

8-2016

Abstract

Background

Psychiatric comorbidity is common among individuals with addictive disorders, with patients frequently suffering from anxiety disorders. While the genetic architecture of comorbid addictive and anxiety disorders remains unclear, elucidating the genes involved could provide important insights into the underlying etiology.

Methods

Here we examine a sample of 1284 Mexican-Americans from randomly selected extended pedigrees. Variance decomposition methods were used to examine the role of genetics in addiction phenotypes (lifetime history of alcohol dependence, drug dependence or chronic smoking) and various forms of clinically relevant anxiety. Genome-wide univariate and bivariate linkage scans were conducted to localize the chromosomal regions influencing these traits.

Results

Addiction phenotypes and anxiety were shown to be heritable and univariate genome-wide linkage scans revealed significant quantitative trait loci for drug dependence (14q13.2-q21.2, LOD = 3.322) and a broad anxiety phenotype (12q24.32-q24.33, LOD = 2.918). Significant positive genetic correlations were observed between anxiety and each of the addiction subtypes (ρg = 0.550–0.655) and further investigation with bivariate linkage analyses identified significant pleiotropic signals for alcohol dependence-anxiety (9q33.1-q33.2, LOD = 3.054) and drug dependence-anxiety (18p11.23-p11.22, LOD = 3.425).

Conclusions

This study confirms the shared genetic underpinnings of addiction and anxiety and identifies genomic loci involved in the etiology of these comorbid disorders. The linkage signal for anxiety on 12q24 spans the location of TMEM132D, an emerging gene of interest from previous GWAS of anxiety traits, whilst the bivariate linkage signal identified for anxiety-alcohol on 9q33 peak coincides with a region where rare CNVs have been associated with psychiatric disorders. Other signals identified implicate novel regions of the genome in addiction genetics.

Comments

© 2016 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved. Original published version available at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eurpsy.2016.03.004

Recommended Citation

Hodgson, K., Almasy, L., Knowles, E. E. M., Kent, J. W., Curran, J. E., Dyer, T. D., Göring, H. H. H., Olvera, R. L., Fox, P. T., Pearlson, G. D., Krystal, J. H., Duggirala, R., Blangero, J., & Glahn, D. C. (2016). Genome-wide significant loci for addiction and anxiety. European Psychiatry, 36, 47–54. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eurpsy.2016.03.004

First Page

47

Last Page

54

Publication Title

European Psychiatry

DOI

10.1016/j.eurpsy.2016.03.004

Academic Level

faculty

Mentor/PI Department

Office of Human Genetics