Polygenic risk score and heritability estimates reveals a genetic relationship between ASD and OCD

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are both highly heritable neurodevelopmental disorders that conceivably share genetic risk factors. However, the underlying genetic determinants remain largely unknown. In this work, the authors describe a combined genome-wide association study (GWAS) of ASD and OCD. The OCD dataset includes 2998 individuals in nuclear families. The ASD dataset includes 6898 individuals in case-parents trios. GWAS summary statistics were examined for potential enrichment of functional variants associated with gene expression levels in brain regions.

Source: European Neuropsychopharmacology - June 20, 2017 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: W. Guo, J.F. Samuels, Y. Wang, H. Cao, M. Ritter, P.S. Nestadt, J. Krasnow, B.D. Greenberg, A.J. Fyer, J.T. McCracken, D.A. Geller, D.L. Murphy, J.A. Knowles, M.A. Grados, M.A. Riddle, S.A. Rasmussen, N.C. McLaughlin, E.L. Nurmi, K.D. Askland, B.A. Cullen Source Type: research