Repository logo
 

Phenotypic Manifestation of Genetic Risk for Schizophrenia During Adolescence in the General Population.

Accepted version
Peer-reviewed

Type

Article

Change log

Authors

Jones, Hannah J 
Stergiakouli, Evie 
Tansey, Katherine E 
Hubbard, Leon 
Heron, Jon 

Abstract

IMPORTANCE: Schizophrenia is a highly heritable, polygenic condition characterized by a relatively diverse phenotype and frequent comorbid conditions, such as anxiety and depression. At present, limited evidence explains how genetic risk for schizophrenia is manifest in the general population. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the extent to which genetic risk for schizophrenia is associated with different phenotypes during adolescence in a population-based birth cohort. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This cohort study used data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC). Of 14,062 children in the birth cohort, genetic data were available for 9912 adolescents. Data were collected periodically from September 6, 1990, and collection is ongoing. Data were analyzed from March 4 to August 13, 2015. EXPOSURES: Polygenic risk scores (PRSs) for schizophrenia generated for individuals in the ALSPAC cohort using results of the second Psychiatric Genomics Consortium Schizophrenia genome-wide association study as a training set. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Logistic regression was used to assess associations between the schizophrenia PRS and (1) psychotic experiences (Psychosis-Like Symptom Interview at 12 and 18 years of age), (2) negative symptoms (Community Assessment of Psychic Experiences at 16.5 years of age), (3) depressive disorder (Development and Well-Being Assessment at 15.5 years of age), and (4) anxiety disorder (Development and Well-Being Assessment at 15.5 years of age) in adolescence. RESULTS: Of the 8230 ALSPAC participants whose genetic data passed quality control checks (51.2% male, 48.8% female), 3676 to 5444 participated in assessments from 12 to 18 years of age. The PRSs created using single-nucleotide polymorphisms with a training-set P ≤ .05 threshold were associated with negative symptoms (odds ratio [OR] per SD increase in PRS, 1.21; 95% CI, 1.08-1.36; R(2) = 0.007) and anxiety disorder (OR per SD increase in PRS, 1.17; 95% CI, 1.06- 1.29; R(2) = 0.005). No evidence was found of an association between schizophrenia PRS and psychotic experiences (OR per SD increase in PRS, 1.08; 95% CI, 0.98-1.19; R(2) = 0.001) or depressive disorder (OR per SD increase in PRS, 1.02; 95% CI, 0.91-1.13; R(2) = 0.00005). Results were mostly consistent across different training-set P value thresholds and using different cutoffs and measures of the psychopathological outcomes. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: This study demonstrates polygenic overlaps between common genetic polymorphisms associated with schizophrenia and negative symptoms and anxiety disorder but not with psychotic experiences or depression. Because the genetic risk for schizophrenia appears to be manifest as anxiety and negative symptoms during adolescence, a greater focus on these phenotypes rather than on psychotic experiences might be required for prediction of transition in at-risk samples.

Description

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from the American Medical Association at http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2015.3058.

Keywords

Adolescent, Adolescent Behavior, Female, Genetic Predisposition to Disease, Humans, Longitudinal Studies, Male, Phenotype, Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide, Risk Assessment, Risk Factors, Schizophrenia

Journal Title

JAMA Psychiatry

Conference Name

Journal ISSN

2168-622X
2168-6238

Volume Title

73

Publisher

American Medical Association (AMA)
Sponsorship
Wellcome Trust (093875/Z/10/Z)
Medical Research Council (MR/M006727/1)
Medical Research Council (G0701503)
Medical Research Council (G1000183)
Medical Research Council (G0701503/1)
This study was supported by grants G0701503, MR/M006727/1, and MR/K004360/1 from the Medical Research Council, grant 102215/2/13/2 from the Wellcome Trust, and the University of Bristol through core support for the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) and by 23andMe, which supported generation of the genome-wide association data by Sample Logistics and genotyping facilities at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute and Laboratory Corporation of America. Drs H. J. Jones, Stergiakouli, Tansey, and Davey Smith are part of the Medical Research Council Integrative Epidemiology Unit at the University of Bristol, which is supported by grant MC_UU_12013/1 from the Medical Research Council and the University of Bristol.