@article {6816, title = {Genetic contributions to variation in general cognitive function: a meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies in the CHARGE consortium (N=53949).}, journal = {Mol Psychiatry}, volume = {20}, year = {2015}, month = {2015 Feb}, pages = {183-92}, abstract = {

General cognitive function is substantially heritable across the human life course from adolescence to old age. We investigated the genetic contribution to variation in this important, health- and well-being-related trait in middle-aged and older adults. We conducted a meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies of 31 cohorts (N=53,949) in which the participants had undertaken multiple, diverse cognitive tests. A general cognitive function phenotype was tested for, and created in each cohort by principal component analysis. We report 13 genome-wide significant single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) associations in three genomic regions, 6q16.1, 14q12 and 19q13.32 (best SNP and closest gene, respectively: rs10457441, P=3.93 {\texttimes} 10(-9), MIR2113; rs17522122, P=2.55 {\texttimes} 10(-8), AKAP6; rs10119, P=5.67 {\texttimes} 10(-9), APOE/TOMM40). We report one gene-based significant association with the HMGN1 gene located on chromosome 21 (P=1 {\texttimes} 10(-6)). These genes have previously been associated with neuropsychiatric phenotypes. Meta-analysis results are consistent with a polygenic model of inheritance. To estimate SNP-based heritability, the genome-wide complex trait analysis procedure was applied to two large cohorts, the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study (N=6617) and the Health and Retirement Study (N=5976). The proportion of phenotypic variation accounted for by all genotyped common SNPs was 29\% (s.e.=5\%) and 28\% (s.e.=7\%), respectively. Using polygenic prediction analysis, ~1.2\% of the variance in general cognitive function was predicted in the Generation Scotland cohort (N=5487; P=1.5 {\texttimes} 10(-17)). In hypothesis-driven tests, there was significant association between general cognitive function and four genes previously associated with Alzheimer{\textquoteright}s disease: TOMM40, APOE, ABCG1 and MEF2C.

}, keywords = {Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Atherosclerosis, Cognition, Cognition Disorders, Cohort Studies, Female, Genetic Predisposition to Disease, Genome-Wide Association Study, HMGN1 Protein, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Neuropsychological Tests, Phenotype, Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide, Scotland}, issn = {1476-5578}, doi = {10.1038/mp.2014.188}, author = {Davies, G and Armstrong, N and Bis, J C and Bressler, J and Chouraki, V and Giddaluru, S and Hofer, E and Ibrahim-Verbaas, C A and Kirin, M and Lahti, J and van der Lee, S J and Le Hellard, S and Liu, T and Marioni, R E and Oldmeadow, C and Postmus, I and Smith, A V and Smith, J A and Thalamuthu, A and Thomson, R and Vitart, V and Wang, J and Yu, L and Zgaga, L and Zhao, W and Boxall, R and Harris, S E and Hill, W D and Liewald, D C and Luciano, M and Adams, H and Ames, D and Amin, N and Amouyel, P and Assareh, A A and Au, R and Becker, J T and Beiser, A and Berr, C and Bertram, L and Boerwinkle, E and Buckley, B M and Campbell, H and Corley, J and De Jager, P L and Dufouil, C and Eriksson, J G and Espeseth, T and Faul, J D and Ford, I and Gottesman, R F and Griswold, M E and Gudnason, V and Harris, T B and Heiss, G and Hofman, A and Holliday, E G and Huffman, J and Kardia, S L R and Kochan, N and Knopman, D S and Kwok, J B and Lambert, J-C and Lee, T and Li, G and Li, S-C and Loitfelder, M and Lopez, O L and Lundervold, A J and Lundqvist, A and Mather, K A and Mirza, S S and Nyberg, L and Oostra, B A and Palotie, A and Papenberg, G and Pattie, A and Petrovic, K and Polasek, O and Psaty, B M and Redmond, P and Reppermund, S and Rotter, J I and Schmidt, H and Schuur, M and Schofield, P W and Scott, R J and Steen, V M and Stott, D J and van Swieten, J C and Taylor, K D and Trollor, J and Trompet, S and Uitterlinden, A G and Weinstein, G and Widen, E and Windham, B G and Jukema, J W and Wright, A F and Wright, M J and Yang, Q and Amieva, H and Attia, J R and Bennett, D A and Brodaty, H and de Craen, A J M and Hayward, C and Ikram, M A and Lindenberger, U and Nilsson, L-G and Porteous, D J and R{\"a}ikk{\"o}nen, K and Reinvang, I and Rudan, I and Sachdev, P S and Schmidt, R and Schofield, P R and Srikanth, V and Starr, J M and Turner, S T and Weir, D R and Wilson, J F and van Duijn, C and Launer, L and Fitzpatrick, A L and Seshadri, S and Mosley, T H and Deary, I J} } @article {7375, title = {A DNA methylation biomarker of alcohol consumption.}, journal = {Mol Psychiatry}, year = {2016}, month = {2016 Nov 15}, abstract = {

The lack of reliable measures of alcohol intake is a major obstacle to the diagnosis and treatment of alcohol-related diseases. Epigenetic modifications such as DNA methylation may provide novel biomarkers of alcohol use. To examine this possibility, we performed an epigenome-wide association study of methylation of cytosine-phosphate-guanine dinucleotide (CpG) sites in relation to alcohol intake in 13 population-based cohorts (ntotal=13 317; 54\% women; mean age across cohorts 42-76 years) using whole blood (9643 European and 2423 African ancestries) or monocyte-derived DNA (588 European, 263 African and 400 Hispanic ancestry) samples. We performed meta-analysis and variable selection in whole-blood samples of people of European ancestry (n=6926) and identified 144 CpGs that provided substantial discrimination (area under the curve=0.90-0.99) for current heavy alcohol intake (⩾42 g per day in men and ⩾28 g per day in women) in four replication cohorts. The ancestry-stratified meta-analysis in whole blood identified 328 (9643 European ancestry samples) and 165 (2423 African ancestry samples) alcohol-related CpGs at Bonferroni-adjusted P<1 {\texttimes} 10(-7). Analysis of the monocyte-derived DNA (n=1251) identified 62 alcohol-related CpGs at P<1 {\texttimes} 10(-7). In whole-blood samples of people of European ancestry, we detected differential methylation in two neurotransmitter receptor genes, the γ-Aminobutyric acid-A receptor delta and γ-aminobutyric acid B receptor subunit 1; their differential methylation was associated with expression levels of a number of genes involved in immune function. In conclusion, we have identified a robust alcohol-related DNA methylation signature and shown the potential utility of DNA methylation as a clinically useful diagnostic test to detect current heavy alcohol consumption.Molecular Psychiatry advance online publication, 15 November 2016; doi:10.1038/mp.2016.192.

}, issn = {1476-5578}, doi = {10.1038/mp.2016.192}, author = {Liu, C and Marioni, R E and Hedman, {\r A} K and Pfeiffer, L and Tsai, P-C and Reynolds, L M and Just, A C and Duan, Q and Boer, C G and Tanaka, T and Elks, C E and Aslibekyan, S and Brody, J A and K{\"u}hnel, B and Herder, C and Almli, L M and Zhi, D and Wang, Y and Huan, T and Yao, C and Mendelson, M M and Joehanes, R and Liang, L and Love, S-A and Guan, W and Shah, S and McRae, A F and Kretschmer, A and Prokisch, H and Strauch, K and Peters, A and Visscher, P M and Wray, N R and Guo, X and Wiggins, K L and Smith, A K and Binder, E B and Ressler, K J and Irvin, M R and Absher, D M and Hernandez, D and Ferrucci, L and Bandinelli, S and Lohman, K and Ding, J and Trevisi, L and Gustafsson, S and Sandling, J H and Stolk, L and Uitterlinden, A G and Yet, I and Castillo-Fernandez, J E and Spector, T D and Schwartz, J D and Vokonas, P and Lind, L and Li, Y and Fornage, M and Arnett, D K and Wareham, N J and Sotoodehnia, N and Ong, K K and van Meurs, J B J and Conneely, K N and Baccarelli, A A and Deary, I J and Bell, J T and North, K E and Liu, Y and Waldenberger, M and London, S J and Ingelsson, E and Levy, D} } @article {7564, title = {Short telomere length is associated with impaired cognitive performance in European ancestry cohorts.}, journal = {Transl Psychiatry}, volume = {7}, year = {2017}, month = {2017 04 18}, pages = {e1100}, abstract = {

The association between telomere length (TL) dynamics on cognitive performance over the life-course is not well understood. This study meta-analyses observational and causal associations between TL and six cognitive traits, with stratifications on APOE genotype, in a Mendelian Randomization (MR) framework. Twelve European cohorts (N=17 052; mean age=59.2{\textpm}8.8 years) provided results for associations between qPCR-measured TL (T/S-ratio scale) and general cognitive function, mini-mental state exam (MMSE), processing speed by digit symbol substitution test (DSST), visuospatial functioning, memory and executive functioning (STROOP). In addition, a genetic risk score (GRS) for TL including seven known genetic variants for TL was calculated, and used in associations with cognitive traits as outcomes in all cohorts. Observational analyses showed that longer telomeres were associated with better scores on DSST (β=0.051 per s.d.-increase of TL; 95\% confidence interval (CI): 0.024, 0.077; P=0.0002), and MMSE (β=0.025; 95\% CI: 0.002, 0.047; P=0.03), and faster STROOP (β=-0.053; 95\% CI: -0.087, -0.018; P=0.003). Effects for DSST were stronger in APOE ɛ4 non-carriers (β=0.081; 95\% CI: 0.045, 0.117; P=1.0 {\texttimes} 10-5), whereas carriers performed better in STROOP (β=-0.074; 95\% CI: -0.140, -0.009; P=0.03). Causal associations were found for STROOP only (β=-0.598 per s.d.-increase of TL; 95\% CI: -1.125, -0.072; P=0.026), with a larger effect in ɛ4-carriers (β=-0.699; 95\% CI: -1.330, -0.069; P=0.03). Two-sample replication analyses using CHARGE summary statistics showed causal effects between TL and general cognitive function and DSST, but not with STROOP. In conclusion, we suggest causal effects from longer TL on better cognitive performance, where APOE ɛ4-carriers might be at differential risk.

}, keywords = {Adult, Aged, Apolipoprotein E4, Cognitive Dysfunction, Cohort Studies, European Continental Ancestry Group, Female, Genetic Carrier Screening, Genotype, Humans, Male, Mendelian Randomization Analysis, Middle Aged, Neuropsychological Tests, Psychometrics, Statistics as Topic, Telomere}, issn = {2158-3188}, doi = {10.1038/tp.2017.73}, author = {H{\"a}gg, S and Zhan, Y and Karlsson, R and Gerritsen, L and Ploner, A and van der Lee, S J and Broer, L and Deelen, J and Marioni, R E and Wong, A and Lundquist, A and Zhu, G and Hansell, N K and Sillanp{\"a}{\"a}, E and Fedko, I O and Amin, N A and Beekman, M and de Craen, A J M and Degerman, S and Harris, S E and Kan, K-J and Martin-Ruiz, C M and Montgomery, G W and Adolfsson, A N and Reynolds, C A and Samani, N J and Suchiman, H E D and Viljanen, A and von Zglinicki, T and Wright, M J and Hottenga, J-J and Boomsma, D I and Rantanen, T and Kaprio, J A and Nyholt, D R and Martin, N G and Nyberg, L and Adolfsson, R and Kuh, D and Starr, J M and Deary, I J and Slagboom, P E and van Duijn, C M and Codd, V and Pedersen, N L} }