Polygenic risk for schizophrenia and season of birth within the UK Biobank cohort.
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ABSTRACT: Background
There is strong evidence that people born in winter and in spring have a small increased risk of schizophrenia. As this 'season of birth' effect underpins some of the most influential hypotheses concerning potentially modifiable risk exposures, it is important to exclude other possible explanations for the phenomenon.Methods
Here we sought to determine whether the season of birth effect reflects gene-environment confounding rather than a pathogenic process indexing environmental exposure. We directly measured, in 136 538 participants from the UK Biobank (UKBB), the burdens of common schizophrenia risk alleles and of copy number variants known to increase the risk for the disorder, and tested whether these were correlated with a season of birth.Results
Neither genetic measure was associated with season or month of birth within the UKBB sample.Conclusions
As our study was highly powered to detect small effects, we conclude that the season of birth effect in schizophrenia reflects a true pathogenic effect of environmental exposure.
SUBMITTER: Escott-Price V
PROVIDER: S-EPMC7610956 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Nov
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Publications
Polygenic risk for schizophrenia and season of birth within the UK Biobank cohort.
Escott-Price Valentina V Smith Daniel J DJ Kendall Kimberley K Ward Joey J Kirov George G Owen Michael J MJ Walters James J O'Donovan Michael C MC
Psychological medicine 20180304 15
<h4>Background</h4>There is strong evidence that people born in winter and in spring have a small increased risk of schizophrenia. As this 'season of birth' effect underpins some of the most influential hypotheses concerning potentially modifiable risk exposures, it is important to exclude other possible explanations for the phenomenon.<h4>Methods</h4>Here we sought to determine whether the season of birth effect reflects gene-environment confounding rather than a pathogenic process indexing env ...[more]
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