2021
Bi-ancestral depression GWAS in the Million Veteran Program and meta-analysis in >1.2 million individuals highlight new therapeutic directions
Levey DF, Stein MB, Wendt FR, Pathak GA, Zhou H, Aslan M, Quaden R, Harrington KM, Nuñez YZ, Overstreet C, Radhakrishnan K, Sanacora G, McIntosh AM, Shi J, Shringarpure SS, Concato J, Polimanti R, Gelernter J. Bi-ancestral depression GWAS in the Million Veteran Program and meta-analysis in >1.2 million individuals highlight new therapeutic directions. Nature Neuroscience 2021, 24: 954-963. PMID: 34045744, PMCID: PMC8404304, DOI: 10.1038/s41593-021-00860-2.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsTranscriptome-wide association studyMillion Veteran ProgramTranscriptome-wide association study (TWAS) analysisGenomic risk lociComplex psychiatric traitsGenetic architectureRisk lociGene expressionAssociation studiesLikely pathogenicityPsychiatric traitsVeteran ProgramNew therapeutic directionEuropean ancestryNew insightsAncestryUK BiobankAfrican ancestrySubstantial replicationExpressionLarge independent cohortsGWASTherapeutic directionsGenesLoci
2020
Reproducible Genetic Risk Loci for Anxiety: Results From ∼200,000 Participants in the Million Veteran Program
Levey DF, Gelernter J, Polimanti R, Zhou H, Cheng Z, Aslan M, Quaden R, Concato J, Radhakrishnan K, Bryois J, Sullivan PF, Stein M. Reproducible Genetic Risk Loci for Anxiety: Results From ∼200,000 Participants in the Million Veteran Program. American Journal Of Psychiatry 2020, 177: 223-232. PMID: 31906708, PMCID: PMC7869502, DOI: 10.1176/appi.ajp.2019.19030256.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsNovel genome-wide significant associationsGene expressionGenome-wide significant signalsGenome-wide significant associationMillion Veteran ProgramWide association studyGenetic risk lociSignificant genetic correlationsGenetic risk mechanismsGenetic architectureGlobal regulatorChromosome 3Risk lociChromosome 6Chromosome 7Association studiesLargest GWASLarge biobanksGlobal regulationGenetic correlationsContinuous traitsVeteran ProgramGWASsLociPrevious GWASs
2023
Multi-ancestry study of the genetics of problematic alcohol use in over 1 million individuals
Zhou H, Kember R, Deak J, Xu H, Toikumo S, Yuan K, Lind P, Farajzadeh L, Wang L, Hatoum A, Johnson J, Lee H, Mallard T, Xu J, Johnston K, Johnson E, Nielsen T, Galimberti M, Dao C, Levey D, Overstreet C, Byrne E, Gillespie N, Gordon S, Hickie I, Whitfield J, Xu K, Zhao H, Huckins L, Davis L, Sanchez-Roige S, Madden P, Heath A, Medland S, Martin N, Ge T, Smoller J, Hougaard D, Børglum A, Demontis D, Krystal J, Gaziano J, Edenberg H, Agrawal A, Justice A, Stein M, Kranzler H, Gelernter J. Multi-ancestry study of the genetics of problematic alcohol use in over 1 million individuals. Nature Medicine 2023, 29: 3184-3192. PMID: 38062264, PMCID: PMC10719093, DOI: 10.1038/s41591-023-02653-5.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchGenome-wide association studies and cross-population meta-analyses investigating short and long sleep duration
Austin-Zimmerman I, Levey D, Giannakopoulou O, Deak J, Galimberti M, Adhikari K, Zhou H, Denaxas S, Irizar H, Kuchenbaecker K, McQuillin A, Concato J, Buysse D, Gaziano J, Gottlieb D, Polimanti R, Stein M, Bramon E, Gelernter J. Genome-wide association studies and cross-population meta-analyses investigating short and long sleep duration. Nature Communications 2023, 14: 6059. PMID: 37770476, PMCID: PMC10539313, DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-41249-y.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsAssociation studiesGenome-wide association studiesGenetic correlationsWide association studyLinkage disequilibrium scorePositive genetic correlationSleep traitsIndependent lociMillion Veteran ProgramTraitsAncestryUK BiobankVeteran ProgramMendelian randomisationLociHeritabilitySNPsPhenotypeEast AsiansSimilar patternCardiometabolic phenotypes
2022
Genome-wide association study in individuals of European and African ancestry and multi-trait analysis of opioid use disorder identifies 19 independent genome-wide significant risk loci
Deak JD, Zhou H, Galimberti M, Levey DF, Wendt FR, Sanchez-Roige S, Hatoum AS, Johnson EC, Nunez YZ, Demontis D, Børglum AD, Rajagopal VM, Jennings MV, Kember RL, Justice AC, Edenberg HJ, Agrawal A, Polimanti R, Kranzler HR, Gelernter J. Genome-wide association study in individuals of European and African ancestry and multi-trait analysis of opioid use disorder identifies 19 independent genome-wide significant risk loci. Molecular Psychiatry 2022, 27: 3970-3979. PMID: 35879402, PMCID: PMC9718667, DOI: 10.1038/s41380-022-01709-1.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsGenome-wide association studiesGenome-wide significant risk lociAssociation studiesVariant associationsLarge-scale genome-wide association studiesGenetic correlationsSignificant risk lociPsychiatric Genomics ConsortiumMulti-trait analysisPolygenic risk score analysisSingle-variant associationsGWS lociGenetic architectureIndividuals of EuropeanGWS associationsRisk lociGene regionGenomics ConsortiumMillion Veteran ProgramSusceptibility lociAfrican ancestryLociRisk score analysisGenetic informativenessSNPs oneAssociations between moderate alcohol consumption, brain iron, and cognition in UK Biobank participants: Observational and mendelian randomization analyses
Topiwala A, Wang C, Ebmeier KP, Burgess S, Bell S, Levey DF, Zhou H, McCracken C, Roca-Fernández A, Petersen SE, Raman B, Husain M, Gelernter J, Miller KL, Smith SM, Nichols TE. Associations between moderate alcohol consumption, brain iron, and cognition in UK Biobank participants: Observational and mendelian randomization analyses. PLOS Medicine 2022, 19: e1004039. PMID: 35834561, PMCID: PMC9282660, DOI: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1004039.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsAlcohol use disorderHigh brain ironModerate alcohol consumptionBrain ironAlcohol consumptionAlcohol intakeUse disordersSubstantia nigraAlcohol-related cognitive declineIron depositionBrain regionsSusceptibility-weighted magnetic resonanceIron accumulationIron levelsBrain iron depositionBrain iron levelsSystemic iron levelsSystemic iron storesAlcohol-related cognitive deficitsBasal ganglia ironElevated liver ironMendelian randomizationWeekly alcohol consumptionUK Biobank participantsExecutive functionFactor structure of the posttraumatic stress disorder checklist (PCL-17) in 279,897 million veteran program participants
Overstreet C, Levey D, Zhou H, Harrington K, Quaden R, Stein M, Gelernter J, Pietrzak R, Program M. Factor structure of the posttraumatic stress disorder checklist (PCL-17) in 279,897 million veteran program participants. Psychiatry Research 2022, 319: 114994. PMID: 36516638, PMCID: PMC10184787, DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2022.114994.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchAlcohol consumption and telomere length: Mendelian randomization clarifies alcohol’s effects
Topiwala A, Taschler B, Ebmeier KP, Smith S, Zhou H, Levey DF, Codd V, Samani NJ, Gelernter J, Nichols TE, Burgess S. Alcohol consumption and telomere length: Mendelian randomization clarifies alcohol’s effects. Molecular Psychiatry 2022, 27: 4001-4008. PMID: 35879401, PMCID: PMC9718662, DOI: 10.1038/s41380-022-01690-9.Peer-Reviewed Original Research
2019
Genetic associations with suicide attempt severity and genetic overlap with major depression
Levey DF, Polimanti R, Cheng Z, Zhou H, Nuñez YZ, Jain S, He F, Sun X, Ursano RJ, Kessler RC, Smoller JW, Stein MB, Kranzler HR, Gelernter J. Genetic associations with suicide attempt severity and genetic overlap with major depression. Translational Psychiatry 2019, 9: 22. PMID: 30655502, PMCID: PMC6336846, DOI: 10.1038/s41398-018-0340-2.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsGWS associationsGenome-wide significant signalsCircadian clock regulationWide association studyGenetic overlapCatabolism of tyrosineClock regulationFirst GWASSignificant genetic overlapDiscovery GWASChromosome 12Large GWASMolecular mechanismsAssociation studiesChromosome 15Chromosome 18Genetic influencesDiscovery sampleGenetic associationSuicide attempt severityReplication analysisGWASAnaerobic energy productionGenetic risk factorsPolygenic risk scores
2024
Genome-wide association study of the common retinal disorder epiretinal membrane: Significant risk loci in each of three American populations
Gelernter J, Levey D, Galimberti M, Harrington K, Zhou H, Adhikari K, Gupta P, Program V, Gaziano J, Eliott D, Stein M. Genome-wide association study of the common retinal disorder epiretinal membrane: Significant risk loci in each of three American populations. Cell Genomics 2024, 4: 100582. PMID: 38870908, PMCID: PMC11228954, DOI: 10.1016/j.xgen.2024.100582.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsGenome-wide association studiesMillion Veteran ProgramRisk lociAssociation studiesTrans-ancestry meta-analysisSignificant risk lociPathway enrichment analysisEpiretinal membraneTrans-ancestryGenome-wideMultiple traitsGenetic associationEnrichment analysisGene expressionEuropean AmericansLoss of visual acuityVeteran ProgramGenetic correlationsLociBiological mechanismsAmerican populationVisual acuityRetinal conditionsControl individualsRetinal surfaceGenetic influences and causal pathways shared between cannabis use disorder and other substance use traits
Galimberti M, Levey D, Deak J, Zhou H, Stein M, Gelernter J. Genetic influences and causal pathways shared between cannabis use disorder and other substance use traits. Molecular Psychiatry 2024, 29: 2905-2910. PMID: 38580809, PMCID: PMC11419938, DOI: 10.1038/s41380-024-02548-y.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchSubstance use disordersProblematic alcohol useSubstance use traitsCannabis use disorderCannabis useOpioid use disorderUse disorderGenomic structural equation modelingSmoking initiationLifetime cannabis useLegalization of cannabis useGlobal genetic correlationsProblematic substance useStructural equation modelingNicotine dependenceGenetic influencesCannabisSubstance useFagerstrom TestAlcohol useMendelian randomizationBidirectional relationshipGenetic correlationsDisordersSmoking cessationPleiotropy and genetically inferred causality linking multisite chronic pain to substance use disorders
Koller D, Friligkou E, Stiltner B, Pathak G, Løkhammer S, Levey D, Zhou H, Hatoum A, Deak J, Kember R, Treur J, Kranzler H, Johnson E, Stein M, Gelernter J, Polimanti R. Pleiotropy and genetically inferred causality linking multisite chronic pain to substance use disorders. Molecular Psychiatry 2024, 29: 2021-2030. PMID: 38355787, PMCID: PMC11324857, DOI: 10.1038/s41380-024-02446-3.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchMultisite chronic painSubstance use disordersChronic painUK BiobankUse disorderMillion Veteran ProgramSNP-based heritabilityGenome-wide association statisticsMR analysisPotential causal relationshipVeteran ProgramPleiotropy analysisTobacco usePleiotropic variantsOpioid use disorderAssociation statisticsCannabis use disorderAlcohol use disorderMeta-analysesBrain-wide analysisImaging phenotypesBi-directional relationshipPainPleiotropyBiobankGenetic contribution to the comorbidity between attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and substance use disorders
Koller D, Mitjans M, Kouakou M, Friligkou E, Cabrera-Mendoza B, Deak J, Llonga N, Pathak G, Stiltner B, Løkhammer S, Levey D, Zhou H, Hatoum A, Kember R, Kranzler H, Stein M, Corominas R, Demontis D, Artigas M, Ramos-Quiroga J, Gelernter J, Ribasés M, Cormand B, Polimanti R. Genetic contribution to the comorbidity between attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and substance use disorders. Psychiatry Research 2024, 333: 115758. PMID: 38335780, PMCID: PMC11157987, DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2024.115758.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsUse disorderGenome-wide association studiesGenomic structural equation modelingCannabis use disorderAlcohol Use Disorders Identification TestAttention-deficit/hyperactivity disorderAlcohol use disorderProblematic alcohol useSubstance use disordersTwo-sample Mendelian randomization analysisLinkage disequilibrium score regression analysisDisorders Identification TestMendelian randomization analysisAssociated with increased oddsOdds of ADHDOpioid use disorderAttention-deficit/hyperactivityGWAS meta-analysesAlcohol dependenceStructural equation modelingNicotine dependenceInvestigate genetic correlationsADHDPolygenic riskStrength of evidence