Featured Publications
Genome-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 phenotypesGenome-wide meta-analysis of problematic alcohol use in 435,563 individuals yields insights into biology and relationships with other traits
Zhou H, Sealock JM, Sanchez-Roige S, Clarke TK, Levey DF, Cheng Z, Li B, Polimanti R, Kember RL, Smith RV, Thygesen JH, Morgan MY, Atkinson SR, Thursz MR, Nyegaard M, Mattheisen M, Børglum AD, Johnson EC, Justice AC, Palmer AA, McQuillin A, Davis LK, Edenberg HJ, Agrawal A, Kranzler HR, Gelernter J. Genome-wide meta-analysis of problematic alcohol use in 435,563 individuals yields insights into biology and relationships with other traits. Nature Neuroscience 2020, 23: 809-818. PMID: 32451486, PMCID: PMC7485556, DOI: 10.1038/s41593-020-0643-5.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsRegulatory genomic regionsGenome-wide association studiesNovel risk lociEuropean ancestry individualsPolygenic risk score analysisIndependent risk variantsGenetic architectureGenomic regionsRisk lociAssociation studiesGenetic relationshipsRisk genesGenetic correlationsPsychiatric traitsRisk variantsRisk score analysisTraitsGenetic heritabilityYields insightsBiobank samplesMendelian randomizationGenesLociBiologyHeritabilityGenome-wide association study of alcohol consumption and use disorder in 274,424 individuals from multiple populations
Kranzler HR, Zhou H, Kember RL, Vickers Smith R, Justice AC, Damrauer S, Tsao PS, Klarin D, Baras A, Reid J, Overton J, Rader DJ, Cheng Z, Tate JP, Becker WC, Concato J, Xu K, Polimanti R, Zhao H, Gelernter J. Genome-wide association study of alcohol consumption and use disorder in 274,424 individuals from multiple populations. Nature Communications 2019, 10: 1499. PMID: 30940813, PMCID: PMC6445072, DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-09480-8.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsGenome-wide association studiesAssociation studiesMillion Veteran Program sampleGenetic correlationsWide significant lociSignificant genetic correlationsPolygenic risk scoresCell type groupSignificant lociHeritable traitEnrichment analysisTraitsMultiple populationsLociPhenotypeProgram samples
2024
Diversity and scale: Genetic architecture of 2068 traits in the VA Million Veteran Program
Verma A, Huffman J, Rodriguez A, Conery M, Liu M, Ho Y, Kim Y, Heise D, Guare L, Panickan V, Garcon H, Linares F, Costa L, Goethert I, Tipton R, Honerlaw J, Davies L, Whitbourne S, Cohen J, Posner D, Sangar R, Murray M, Wang X, Dochtermann D, Devineni P, Shi Y, Nandi T, Assimes T, Brunette C, Carroll R, Clifford R, Duvall S, Gelernter J, Hung A, Iyengar S, Joseph J, Kember R, Kranzler H, Kripke C, Levey D, Luoh S, Merritt V, Overstreet C, Deak J, Grant S, Polimanti R, Roussos P, Shakt G, Sun Y, Tsao N, Venkatesh S, Voloudakis G, Justice A, Begoli E, Ramoni R, Tourassi G, Pyarajan S, Tsao P, O'Donnell C, Muralidhar S, Moser J, Casas J, Bick A, Zhou W, Cai T, Voight B, Cho K, Gaziano J, Madduri R, Damrauer S, Liao K. Diversity and scale: Genetic architecture of 2068 traits in the VA Million Veteran Program. Science 2024, 385: eadj1182. PMID: 39024449, DOI: 10.1126/science.adj1182.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsMillion Veteran ProgramNon-European populationsVeteran ProgramGenetic architectureAtlas of genetic associationsVeterans Affairs Million Veteran ProgramVA Million Veteran ProgramGenomic risk lociGenome-wide associationHuman genetic studiesHealth disparitiesUnited States veteransCausal variantsRisk lociGenetic insightsGenetic studiesGenetic associationGenetic causeStates veteransDiverse populationsDisease factorsLack of inclusionLongitudinal studyParticipantsTraits
2023
Identifying genetic loci and phenomic associations of substance use traits: A multi‐trait analysis of GWAS (MTAG) study
Xu H, Toikumo S, Crist R, Glogowska K, Jinwala Z, Deak J, Justice A, Gelernter J, Johnson E, Kranzler H, Kember R. Identifying genetic loci and phenomic associations of substance use traits: A multi‐trait analysis of GWAS (MTAG) study. Addiction 2023, 118: 1942-1952. PMID: 37156939, PMCID: PMC10754226, DOI: 10.1111/add.16229.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsGenome-wide association studiesSignificant single nucleotide polymorphismsSubstance use traitsMulti-trait analysisAssociation studiesGenetic architectureUse traitsGenome-wide significant single nucleotide polymorphismsProtein-protein interaction analysisTrait genetic architectureNumber of lociPolygenic risk scoresEuropean ancestry individualsNovel lociSingle nucleotide polymorphismsGenetic lociGWAS studiesLociMultiple related phenotypesNucleotide polymorphismsRelated phenotypesTraitsNovel associationsMTAgBiobank samplesMulti-trait genome-wide association analyses leveraging alcohol use disorder findings identify novel loci for smoking behaviors in the Million Veteran Program
Cheng Y, Dao C, Zhou H, Li B, Kember R, Toikumo S, Zhao H, Gelernter J, Kranzler H, Justice A, Xu K. Multi-trait genome-wide association analyses leveraging alcohol use disorder findings identify novel loci for smoking behaviors in the Million Veteran Program. Translational Psychiatry 2023, 13: 148. PMID: 37147289, PMCID: PMC10162964, DOI: 10.1038/s41398-023-02409-2.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsSingle-trait genome-wide association studiesGenome-wide association studiesNovel lociPower of GWASJoint genome-wide association studyGenome-wide significant lociMillion Veteran ProgramGenome-wide associationSubstance use traitsGWAS summary statisticsNovel genetic variantsMulti-trait analysisFunctional annotationUse traitsSignificant lociHeritable traitMultiple lociAssociation studiesColocalization analysisLociPleiotropic effectsMTAgVeteran ProgramGenetic variantsTraitsMulti‐omics cannot replace sample size in genome‐wide association studies
Baranger D, Hatoum A, Polimanti R, Gelernter J, Edenberg H, Bogdan R, Agrawal A. Multi‐omics cannot replace sample size in genome‐wide association studies. Genes Brain & Behavior 2023, 22: e12846. PMID: 36977197, PMCID: PMC10733567, DOI: 10.1111/gbb.12846.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsGenome-wide association studiesLarge genome-wide association studiesNovel genesMulti-omics dataMulti-omics informationAssociation studiesGenome-wide significant lociSmall genome-wide association studyBrain-related traitsGWAS sample sizesEarly genome-wide association studiesNovel gene discoveryGene discoverySignificant lociAdditional genesPositional mappingHeritable traitVariant discoverySimilar traitsGenesNovel variant discoveryTraitsDisease biologyLociDiscoveryGenetic Decomposition of the Heritable Component of Reported Childhood Maltreatment
Kuile A, Hübel C, Cheesman R, Coleman J, Peel A, Levey D, Stein M, Gelernter J, Rayner C, Eley T, Breen G. Genetic Decomposition of the Heritable Component of Reported Childhood Maltreatment. Biological Psychiatry Global Open Science 2023, 3: 716-724. PMID: 37881567, PMCID: PMC10593925, DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsgos.2023.03.003.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchGenetic componentGenomic structural equationGenome-wide association study summary statisticsCommon genetic variantsResidual genetic varianceGeneral risk toleranceGenetic variancePutative traitsHeritable componentBehavioral traitsGenetic correlationsTraitsGenetic variantsHeritable characteristicsHeritable factorsHeritabilityEnvironmental factorsDecades of researchGenetic influencesSummary statisticsPhenotype
2022
Multi-trait genome-wide association study of opioid addiction: OPRM1 and beyond
Gaddis N, Mathur R, Marks J, Zhou L, Quach B, Waldrop A, Levran O, Agrawal A, Randesi M, Adelson M, Jeffries PW, Martin NG, Degenhardt L, Montgomery GW, Wetherill L, Lai D, Bucholz K, Foroud T, Porjesz B, Runarsdottir V, Tyrfingsson T, Einarsson G, Gudbjartsson DF, Webb BT, Crist RC, Kranzler HR, Sherva R, Zhou H, Hulse G, Wildenauer D, Kelty E, Attia J, Holliday EG, McEvoy M, Scott RJ, Schwab SG, Maher BS, Gruza R, Kreek MJ, Nelson EC, Thorgeirsson T, Stefansson K, Berrettini WH, Gelernter J, Edenberg HJ, Bierut L, Hancock DB, Johnson EO. Multi-trait genome-wide association study of opioid addiction: OPRM1 and beyond. Scientific Reports 2022, 12: 16873. PMID: 36207451, PMCID: PMC9546890, DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-21003-y.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsGenome-wide significant associationMulti-trait genome-wide association studyNovel genome-wide significant associationsGenome-wide association studiesGenomic structural equationGene-based analysisRelated traitsAssociation studiesGenetic correlationsEuropean ancestryA118G variantConsortium dataNew geneticsG variantGWASPPP6CLociPleiotropicGeneticsVariantsTraitsPhenotypeOA phenotypeFurinAncestryGenome-Wide Investigation of Maximum Habitual Alcohol Intake in US Veterans in Relation to Alcohol Consumption Traits and Alcohol Use Disorder
Deak JD, Levey DF, Wendt FR, Zhou H, Galimberti M, Kranzler HR, Gaziano JM, Stein MB, Polimanti R, Gelernter J, Muralidhar S, Moser J, Deen J, Gaziano J, Beckham J, Chang K, Tsao P, Luoh S, Casas J, Churby L, Whitbourne S, Brewer J, Brophy M, Selva L, Shayan S, Cho K, Pyarajan S, DuVall S, Connor T, Argyres D, Aslan M, Stephens B, Concato J, Gelernter J, Gleason T, Huang G, Koenen K, Marx C, Radhakrishnan K, Schork N, Stein M, Zhao H, Kaufman J, Nunez Y, Pietrzak R, Beck D, Cissell S, Crutchfield P, Lance W, Cheung K, Li Y, Sun N, Chen Q, Rajeevan N, Sayward F, Gagnon D, Harrington K, Quaden R, O'Leary T, Ramoni R. Genome-Wide Investigation of Maximum Habitual Alcohol Intake in US Veterans in Relation to Alcohol Consumption Traits and Alcohol Use Disorder. JAMA Network Open 2022, 5: e2238880. PMID: 36301540, PMCID: PMC9614582, DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.38880.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsGenome-wide association studiesGenome-wide significant lociGenomic structural equation modelingSignificant lociAlcohol traitsAssociation studiesAfrican ancestry participantsGenome-wide investigationAncestry-specific genome-wide association studiesGenetic correlationsPsychiatric traitsLinkage disequilibrium score regressionGenetic associationStrong genetic correlationSingle nucleotide variantsGenetic architectureGenetic association studiesGenetic lociTop associationsNegative rgEuropean ancestry participantsNucleotide variantsFunctional variantsScore regressionTraitsCross-ancestry meta-analysis of opioid use disorder uncovers novel loci with predominant effects in brain regions associated with addiction
Kember RL, Vickers-Smith R, Xu H, Toikumo S, Niarchou M, Zhou H, Hartwell EE, Crist RC, Rentsch CT, Davis L, Justice A, Sanchez-Roige S, Kampman K, Gelernter J, Kranzler H. Cross-ancestry meta-analysis of opioid use disorder uncovers novel loci with predominant effects in brain regions associated with addiction. Nature Neuroscience 2022, 25: 1279-1287. PMID: 36171425, PMCID: PMC9682545, DOI: 10.1038/s41593-022-01160-z.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsOpioid use disorderGenome-wide association studiesWide significant lociGene expression enrichmentSignificant genetic correlationsCell type groupSignificant lociAssociation studiesExpression enrichmentMillion Veteran ProgramGenetic correlationsUse disordersLociBrain regionsExonic variantsIntronic variantsSubstance use disordersTraitsBiological basisOpioid epidemicPsychiatric disordersVeteran ProgramBrain diseasesTSNARE1FBXW4Genetically regulated multi-omics study for symptom clusters of posttraumatic stress disorder highlights pleiotropy with hematologic and cardio-metabolic traits
Pathak GA, Singh K, Wendt FR, Fleming TW, Overstreet C, Koller D, Tylee DS, De Angelis F, Cabrera Mendoza B, Levey DF, Koenen KC, Krystal JH, Pietrzak RH, O’ Donell C, Gaziano JM, Falcone G, Stein MB, Gelernter J, Pasaniuc B, Mancuso N, Davis LK, Polimanti R. Genetically regulated multi-omics study for symptom clusters of posttraumatic stress disorder highlights pleiotropy with hematologic and cardio-metabolic traits. Molecular Psychiatry 2022, 27: 1394-1404. PMID: 35241783, PMCID: PMC9210390, DOI: 10.1038/s41380-022-01488-9.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsLocal genetic correlationsCell type-specific expressionVanderbilt University biorepositoryMulti-omics studiesMulti-omics investigationsDorsolateral prefrontal cortex tissueGenomic evidenceLaboratory traitsSpecific expressionCardio-metabolic traitsMillion Veteran ProgramPrefrontal cortex tissueMiR-148GenesGenetic correlationsRegulatory profileTraitsProtein expressionCardiometabolic traitsExpressionVeteran ProgramCortex tissueBiological heterogeneitySplicingPrioritization approachUsing phenotype risk scores to enhance gene discovery for generalized anxiety disorder and posttraumatic stress disorder
Wendt FR, Pathak GA, Deak JD, De Angelis F, Koller D, Cabrera-Mendoza B, Lebovitch DS, Levey DF, Stein MB, Kranzler HR, Koenen KC, Gelernter J, Huckins LM, Polimanti R. Using phenotype risk scores to enhance gene discovery for generalized anxiety disorder and posttraumatic stress disorder. Molecular Psychiatry 2022, 27: 2206-2215. PMID: 35181757, PMCID: PMC9133008, DOI: 10.1038/s41380-022-01469-y.Peer-Reviewed Original Research
2021
Multivariate analysis of 1.5 million people identifies genetic associations with traits related to self-regulation and addiction
Karlsson Linnér R, Mallard TT, Barr PB, Sanchez-Roige S, Madole JW, Driver MN, Poore HE, de Vlaming R, Grotzinger AD, Tielbeek JJ, Johnson EC, Liu M, Rosenthal SB, Ideker T, Zhou H, Kember RL, Pasman JA, Verweij KJH, Liu DJ, Vrieze S, Kranzler H, Gelernter J, Harris K, Tucker-Drob E, Waldman I, Palmer A, Harden K, Koellinger P, Dick D. Multivariate analysis of 1.5 million people identifies genetic associations with traits related to self-regulation and addiction. Nature Neuroscience 2021, 24: 1367-1376. PMID: 34446935, PMCID: PMC8484054, DOI: 10.1038/s41593-021-00908-3.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchMeSH KeywordsAttention Deficit Disorder with HyperactivityBehavior, AddictiveBehavioral SymptomsComputational BiologyCrimeGenetic Association StudiesGenome-Wide Association StudyHIV InfectionsHumansMeta-Analysis as TopicMultifactorial InheritanceMultivariate AnalysisOpioid-Related DisordersReproducibility of ResultsSelf-ControlSuicideUnemployment
2020
Characterizing the effect of background selection on the polygenicity of brain-related traits
Wendt FR, Pathak GA, Overstreet C, Tylee DS, Gelernter J, Atkinson EG, Polimanti R. Characterizing the effect of background selection on the polygenicity of brain-related traits. Genomics 2020, 113: 111-119. PMID: 33278486, PMCID: PMC7855394, DOI: 10.1016/j.ygeno.2020.11.032.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsGenome-wide association studiesBrain-related traitsGWAS of schizophreniaTrait-associated lociLocus effect sizesSubset of traitsGenotype networksGenetic architectureIntolerant regionsBrain-related phenotypesBackground selectionNatural selectionEvolutionary pressurePositive selectionSNP heritabilityLocal ancestryAssociation studiesTraitsFunctional significanceLociPolygenicityBinary annotationPhenotypeRisk allelesSize varianceExpanding the genetic architecture of nicotine dependence and its shared genetics with multiple traits
Quach BC, Bray MJ, Gaddis NC, Liu M, Palviainen T, Minica CC, Zellers S, Sherva R, Aliev F, Nothnagel M, Young KA, Marks JA, Young H, Carnes MU, Guo Y, Waldrop A, Sey NYA, Landi MT, McNeil DW, Drichel D, Farrer LA, Markunas CA, Vink JM, Hottenga JJ, Iacono WG, Kranzler HR, Saccone NL, Neale MC, Madden P, Rietschel M, Marazita ML, McGue M, Won H, Winterer G, Grucza R, Dick DM, Gelernter J, Caporaso NE, Baker TB, Boomsma DI, Kaprio J, Hokanson JE, Vrieze S, Bierut LJ, Johnson EO, Hancock DB. Expanding the genetic architecture of nicotine dependence and its shared genetics with multiple traits. Nature Communications 2020, 11: 5562. PMID: 33144568, PMCID: PMC7642344, DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-19265-z.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsGenome-wide significant lociGenome-wide association studiesNearby gene expressionExpression of genesSmoking traitsGenetic architectureSignificant lociGenetic variationMultiple traitsGene expressionAssociation studiesLociTraitsGenetic knowledgeComposite phenotypeUK BiobankExpressionTENM2GNAI1GenesGeneticsVariantsPhenotypeGenome-wide association study of smoking trajectory and meta-analysis of smoking status in 842,000 individuals
Xu K, Li B, McGinnis KA, Vickers-Smith R, Dao C, Sun N, Kember RL, Zhou H, Becker WC, Gelernter J, Kranzler HR, Zhao H, Justice AC. Genome-wide association study of smoking trajectory and meta-analysis of smoking status in 842,000 individuals. Nature Communications 2020, 11: 5302. PMID: 33082346, PMCID: PMC7598939, DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-18489-3.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsGenome-wide association studiesLarge genome-wide association studiesMillion Veteran ProgramAssociation studiesExpression quantitative trait lociQuantitative trait lociChromatin interactionsComplex traitsFunctional annotationTrait lociSequencing ConsortiumDozen genesSignificant lociSmoking phenotypesLociMultiple populationsNew insightsPhenotypeVeteran ProgramGenetic vulnerabilityGenesTraitsAnnotationEuropean AmericansConsortium
2019
A Putative Causal Relationship Between Genetically Determined Female Body Shape And Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Polimanti R, Amstadter A, Liberzon I, Nievergelt C, Workgroup P, Stein M, Koenen K, Gelernter J. A Putative Causal Relationship Between Genetically Determined Female Body Shape And Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. European Neuropsychopharmacology 2019, 29: s751-s752. DOI: 10.1016/j.euroneuro.2017.06.094.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchGenome-wide association studiesLarge genome-wide association studiesPutative causal relationshipAnthropometric traitsBody shapeEvolutionary mechanismsTop associationsAssociation studiesReproductive behaviorGenetic correlationsPleiotropic effectsGenetic overlapFemale body shapePolygenic score approachTraitsMendelian randomization analysisSummary statisticsRandomization analysisHuman sexual behaviorMechanism
2018
GWAS of lifetime cannabis use reveals new risk loci, genetic overlap with psychiatric traits, and a causal effect of schizophrenia liability
Pasman JA, Verweij KJH, Gerring Z, Stringer S, Sanchez-Roige S, Treur JL, Abdellaoui A, Nivard MG, Baselmans BML, Ong JS, Ip HF, van der Zee MD, Bartels M, Day FR, Fontanillas P, Elson SL, the 23andMe Research Team, de Wit H, Davis LK, MacKillop J, The Substance Use Disorders Working Group of the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium, International Cannabis Consortium, Derringer JL, Branje SJT, Hartman CA, Heath AC, van Lier PAC, Madden PAF, Mägi R, Meeus W, Montgomery GW, Oldehinkel AJ, Pausova Z, Ramos-Quiroga JA, Paus T, Ribases M, Kaprio J, Boks MPM, Bell JT, Spector TD, Gelernter J, Boomsma DI, Martin NG, MacGregor S, Perry JRB, Palmer AA, Posthuma D, Munafò MR, Gillespie NA, Derks EM, Vink JM. GWAS of lifetime cannabis use reveals new risk loci, genetic overlap with psychiatric traits, and a causal effect of schizophrenia liability. Nature Neuroscience 2018, 21: 1161-1170. PMID: 30150663, PMCID: PMC6386176, DOI: 10.1038/s41593-018-0206-1.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchMeSH KeywordsAdolescentAdultAgedAged, 80 and overCell Adhesion MoleculesDatabases, GeneticFemaleGene Expression RegulationGenetic Predisposition to DiseaseGenome-Wide Association StudyGenotypeHumansMaleMarijuana AbuseMendelian Randomization AnalysisMental HealthMiddle AgedPolymorphism, Single NucleotideRisk-TakingSchizophreniaYoung AdultConceptsGenome-wide association studiesNew risk lociLarge genome-wide association studiesGene-based testsIndependent single nucleotide polymorphismsDifferent expression levelsSignificant genetic correlationsHealth-related traitsSingle nucleotide polymorphismsEtiology of cannabisHeritable traitRisk lociSignificant genesAssociation studiesGenetic correlationsPsychiatric traitsGenetic variantsNucleotide polymorphismsGenetic overlapExpression levelsTraitsGenesNew insightsSchizophrenia riskMendelian randomization analysisLocal adaptation in European populations affected the genetics of psychiatric disorders and behavioral traits
Polimanti R, Kayser MH, Gelernter J. Local adaptation in European populations affected the genetics of psychiatric disorders and behavioral traits. Genome Medicine 2018, 10: 24. PMID: 29580271, PMCID: PMC5870256, DOI: 10.1186/s13073-018-0532-7.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsLocal adaptationPathogen diversityEuropean populationsBehavioral traitsGenome-wide investigationGenome-wide dataPolygenic risk score analysisProtozoan diversityWinter minimum temperaturesGenetic diversityEvolutionary mechanismsPositive selectionWidespread signalMolecular mechanismsTop findingsRisk score analysisDiversityTraitsCommon variationBehavioral phenotypesAdaptationGeneticsPopulationPhenotypeMechanism