1q21.1 distal copy number variants are associated with cerebral and cognitive alterations in humans

Authors

Ida E. Sønderby
Dennis van der Meer
Clara Moreau
Tobias Kaufmann
G. Bragi Walters
Maria Ellegaard
Nicholas B. Blackburn, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
John Blangero, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
Joanne E. Curran, The University of Texas Rio Grande ValleyFollow
Juan M. Peralta, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

3-22-2021

Abstract

Low-frequency 1q21.1 distal deletion and duplication copy number variant (CNV) carriers are predisposed to multiple neurodevelopmental disorders, including schizophrenia, autism and intellectual disability. Human carriers display a high prevalence of micro- and macrocephaly in deletion and duplication carriers, respectively. The underlying brain structural diversity remains largely unknown. We systematically called CNVs in 38 cohorts from the large-scale ENIGMACNV collaboration and the UK Biobank and identified 28 1q21.1 distal deletion and 22 duplication carriers and 37,088 non-carriers (48% male) derived from 15 distinct magnetic resonance imaging scanner sites. With standardized methods, we compared subcortical and cortical brain measures (all) and cognitive performance (UK Biobank only) between carrier groups also testing for mediation of brain structure on cognition. We identified positive dosage effects of copy number on intracranial volume (ICV) and total cortical surface area, with the largest effects in frontal and cingulate cortices, and negative dosage effects on caudate and hippocampal volumes. The carriers displayed distinct cognitive deficit profiles in cognitive tasks from the UK Biobank with intermediate decreases in duplication carriers and somewhat larger in deletion carriers—the latter potentially mediated by ICV or cortical surface area. These results shed light on pathobiological mechanisms of neurodevelopmental disorders, by demonstrating gene dose effect on specific brain structures and effect on cognitive function.

Comments

© The Author(s) 2021

Recommended Citation

Sønderby, I.E., van der Meer, D., Moreau, C. et al. 1q21.1 distal copy number variants are associated with cerebral and cognitive alterations in humans. Transl Psychiatry 11, 182 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41398-021-01213-0

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Publication Title

Transl Psychiatry

DOI

10.1038/s41398-021-01213-0

Academic Level

faculty

Mentor/PI Department

Office of Human Genetics