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Genetic correlation between amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and schizophrenia.
Russell L McLaughlin1,2, Dick Schijven3,4, Wouter van Rheenen3
1Academic Unit of Neurology, Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin DO2 DK07, Republic of Ireland.
Nature Communications
|March 22, 2017
Summary
Genetic studies reveal a significant link between amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and schizophrenia. This research suggests shared genetic factors may contribute to both neurodegenerative and psychiatric disorders.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Genetics
- Psychiatry
Background:
- Previous studies indicated higher rates of schizophrenia in relatives of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients.
- This suggested a potential etiological link between these two distinct neurological and psychiatric disorders.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the genetic relationship between ALS and schizophrenia.
- To identify potential shared genetic underpinnings and novel genetic loci associated with ALS.
Main Methods:
- Utilized genome-wide association study (GWAS) data from over 100,000 individuals.
- Employed linkage disequilibrium (LD) score regression to estimate genetic correlation.
- Applied conditional false discovery rate (FDR) analysis to identify novel ALS loci.
Main Results:
- Estimated a significant genetic correlation of 14.3% between ALS and schizophrenia (P=1 × 10-4).
- Schizophrenia polygenic risk scores explained 0.12% of the variance in ALS (P=8.4 × 10-7).
- Identified five potential novel ALS-associated genetic loci.
Conclusions:
- The findings support a shared genetic etiology between ALS and schizophrenia.
- These results may inform future research into shared neurobiological mechanisms.
- Suggests potential for novel preclinical and clinical hypotheses for both disorders.
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