Genetics in psychiatry: common variant association studies
Joseph D Buxbaum1, Simon Baron-Cohen, Bernie Devlin
1Seaver Autism Center for Research and Treatment and Department of Psychiatry, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA. Joseph.Buxbaum@mssm.edu.
Molecular Autism
|August 4, 2010
Summary
Genetic heritability influences psychiatric conditions. This review outlines best practices for common variant association analyses, emphasizing large sample sizes, ancestry control, and data integrity for reliable genetic risk discovery.
Area of Science:
- Psychiatry
- Genetics
- Statistical Genetics
Background:
- Psychiatric conditions and traits exhibit substantial heritability.
- Genetic risk involves both rare and common variants.
- Common variants are typically analyzed through association studies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review and highlight essential guidelines for conducting common variant association analyses in psychiatric genetics.
- To emphasize critical factors for ensuring the robustness and reproducibility of genetic findings.
Main Methods:
- Review of established and recommended practices for genetic association studies.
- Emphasis on methodological rigor following heritability assessment.
Main Results:
- Key guidelines include: large sample sizes, ancestry control, rigorous data cleaning, and multiple testing correction.
- Statistical significance (small P values) and effect size assessment are crucial for positive findings.
- Independent replication and critical discussion of prior findings are essential.
Conclusions:
- Adherence to these guidelines enhances the reliability of identifying genetic risk factors for psychiatric disorders.
- Methodological rigor is paramount for advancing psychiatric genetics research and understanding disease etiology.
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