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Genetic Complexity of Cortical Structure: Differences in Genetic and Environmental Factors Influencing Cortical Surface Area and Thickness.

ABSTRACT: Quantifying the genetic architecture of the cerebral cortex is necessary for understanding disease and changes to the brain across the lifespan. Prior work shows that both surface area (SA) and cortical thickness (CT) are heritable. However, we do not yet understand the extent to which region-specific genetic factors (i.e., independent of global effects) play a dominant role in the regional patterning or inter-regional associations across the cortex. Using a population sample of young adult twins (N = 923), we show that the heritability of SA and CT varies widely across regions, generally independent of measurement error. When global effects are controlled for, we detected a complex pattern of genetically mediated clusters of inter-regional associations, which varied between hemispheres. There were generally weak associations between the SA of different regions, except within the occipital lobe, whereas CT was positively correlated within lobar divisions and negatively correlated across lobes, mostly due to genetic covariation. These findings were replicated in an independent sample of twins and siblings (N = 698) from the Human Connectome Project. The different genetic contributions to SA and CT across regions reveal the value of quantifying sources of covariation to appreciate the genetic complexity of cortical structures.

SUBMITTER: Strike LT

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6373676 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Genetic Complexity of Cortical Structure: Differences in Genetic and Environmental Factors Influencing Cortical Surface Area and Thickness.

Strike Lachlan T LT Hansell Narelle K NK Couvy-Duchesne Baptiste B Thompson Paul M PM de Zubicaray Greig I GI McMahon Katie L KL Wright Margaret J MJ

Cerebral cortex (New York, N.Y. : 1991) 20190301 3

Quantifying the genetic architecture of the cerebral cortex is necessary for understanding disease and changes to the brain across the lifespan. Prior work shows that both surface area (SA) and cortical thickness (CT) are heritable. However, we do not yet understand the extent to which region-specific genetic factors (i.e., independent of global effects) play a dominant role in the regional patterning or inter-regional associations across the cortex. Using a population sample of young adult twin ...[more]

PMID: 29377989

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Project description:ImportanceSchizophrenia is a complex heritable disorder associated with many genetic variants, each with a small effect. While cortical differences between patients with schizophrenia and healthy controls are consistently reported, the underlying molecular mechanisms remain elusive.ObjectiveTo investigate the extent of shared genetic architecture between schizophrenia and brain cortical surface area (SA) and thickness (TH) and to identify shared genomic loci.Design, setting, and participantsIndependent genome-wide association study data on schizophrenia (Psychiatric Genomics Consortium and CLOZUK: n = 105 318) and SA and TH (UK Biobank: n = 33 735) were obtained. The extent of polygenic overlap was investigated using MiXeR. The specific shared genomic loci were identified by conditional/conjunctional false discovery rate analysis and were further examined in 3 independent cohorts. Data were collected from December 2019 to February 2021, and data analysis was performed from May 2020 to February 2021.Main outcomes and measuresThe primary outcomes were estimated fractions of polygenic overlap between schizophrenia, total SA, and average TH and a list of functionally characterized shared genomic loci.ResultsBased on genome-wide association study data from 139 053 participants, MiXeR estimated schizophrenia to be more polygenic (9703 single-nucleotide variants [SNVs]) than total SA (2101 SNVs) and average TH (1363 SNVs). Most SNVs associated with total SA (1966 of 2101 [93.6%]) and average TH (1322 of 1363 [97.0%]) may be associated with the development of schizophrenia. Subsequent conjunctional false discovery rate analysis identified 44 and 23 schizophrenia risk loci shared with total SA and average TH, respectively. The SNV associations of shared loci between schizophrenia and total SA revealed en masse concordant association between the discovery and independent cohorts. After removing high linkage disequilibrium regions, such as the major histocompatibility complex region, the shared loci were enriched in immunologic signature gene sets. Polygenic overlap and shared loci between schizophrenia and schizophrenia-associated regions of interest for SA (superior frontal and middle temporal gyri) and for TH (superior temporal, inferior temporal, and superior frontal gyri) were also identified.Conclusions and relevanceThis study demonstrated shared genetic loci between cortical morphometry and schizophrenia, among which a subset are associated with immunity. These findings provide an insight into the complex genetic architecture and associated with schizophrenia.

Dataset Information

Genetic Complexity of Cortical Structure: Differences in Genetic and Environmental Factors Influencing Cortical Surface Area and Thickness.

Publications

Genetic Complexity of Cortical Structure: Differences in Genetic and Environmental Factors Influencing Cortical Surface Area and Thickness.

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