Daniel F. Levey, PhD
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Multi-ancestry genome-wide association study of cannabis use disorder yields insight into disease biology and public health implications
Levey D, Galimberti M, Deak J, Wendt F, Bhattacharya A, Koller D, Harrington K, Quaden R, Johnson E, Gupta P, Biradar M, Lam M, Cooke M, Rajagopal V, Empke S, Zhou H, Nunez Y, Kranzler H, Edenberg H, Agrawal A, Smoller J, Lencz T, Hougaard D, Børglum A, Demontis D, Gaziano J, Gandal M, Polimanti R, Stein M, Gelernter J. Multi-ancestry genome-wide association study of cannabis use disorder yields insight into disease biology and public health implications. Nature Genetics 2023, 55: 2094-2103. PMID: 37985822, PMCID: PMC10703690, DOI: 10.1038/s41588-023-01563-z.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsSingle nucleotide polymorphism-based heritabilityMulti-ancestry genome-wide association studyAssociation studiesMillion Veteran ProgramGenome-wide association studiesWide significant lociWide association studySignificant lociReference panelSmall populationDisease biologyAncestryAmerican ancestryHeritabilityVeteran ProgramNumerous medical comorbiditiesLung cancer riskRelationship analysisLociBiologyPublic health implicationsEast AsiansPublic health consequencesMedical comorbiditiesCigarette smokingBi-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 directionsGenesLociReproducible 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 GWASsGenome-wide association analyses of post-traumatic stress disorder and its symptom subdomains in the Million Veteran Program
Stein MB, Levey DF, Cheng Z, Wendt FR, Harrington K, Pathak GA, Cho K, Quaden R, Radhakrishnan K, Girgenti MJ, Ho YA, Posner D, Aslan M, Duman RS, Zhao H, Polimanti R, Concato J, Gelernter J. Genome-wide association analyses of post-traumatic stress disorder and its symptom subdomains in the Million Veteran Program. Nature Genetics 2021, 53: 174-184. PMID: 33510476, PMCID: PMC7972521, DOI: 10.1038/s41588-020-00767-x.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsGenome-wide association analysisAssociation analysisMillion Veteran ProgramGenomic structural equation modelingSignificant lociGenetic varianceGene expressionDrug repositioning candidatesBiological coherenceVeteran ProgramMultiple testing correctionSymptom phenotypeLociRepositioning candidatesAfrican ancestryHeritabilityPhenotypeAncestryExpressionPTSD symptom factorsRegionSubdomainsEnrichmentGenetic 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 scoresDepression pathophysiology, risk prediction of recurrence and comorbid psychiatric disorders using genome-wide analyses
Als T, Kurki M, Grove J, Voloudakis G, Therrien K, Tasanko E, Nielsen T, Naamanka J, Veerapen K, Levey D, Bendl J, Bybjerg-Grauholm J, Zeng B, Demontis D, Rosengren A, Athanasiadis G, Bækved-Hansen M, Qvist P, Bragi Walters G, Thorgeirsson T, Stefánsson H, Musliner K, Rajagopal V, Farajzadeh L, Thirstrup J, Vilhjálmsson B, McGrath J, Mattheisen M, Meier S, Agerbo E, Stefánsson K, Nordentoft M, Werge T, Hougaard D, Mortensen P, Stein M, Gelernter J, Hovatta I, Roussos P, Daly M, Mors O, Palotie A, Børglum A. Depression pathophysiology, risk prediction of recurrence and comorbid psychiatric disorders using genome-wide analyses. Nature Medicine 2023, 29: 1832-1844. PMID: 37464041, PMCID: PMC10839245, DOI: 10.1038/s41591-023-02352-1.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsSingle nucleotide polymorphism heritabilityGenome-wide analysisLikely causal genesFunctional genomics dataRisk variantsWide association studyPolygenic burdenPsychiatric disordersCausal genesPolygenic architectureGenomic dataRisk lociAssociation studiesSubgroups of depressionCause of disabilityDepression genetic riskCommon psychiatric disordersPrecision medicine approachCases of depressionOligodendrocyte lineageGenesLociConsiderable sex differencesGABAergic neuronsPsychiatric comorbidityGenome-wide meta-analysis of insomnia prioritizes genes associated with metabolic and psychiatric pathways
Watanabe K, Jansen PR, Savage JE, Nandakumar P, Wang X, Hinds D, Gelernter J, Levey D, Polimanti R, Stein M, Van Someren E, Smit A, Posthuma D. Genome-wide meta-analysis of insomnia prioritizes genes associated with metabolic and psychiatric pathways. Nature Genetics 2022, 54: 1125-1132. PMID: 35835914, DOI: 10.1038/s41588-022-01124-w.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsRisk lociGenome-wide association studiesSpecific gene setsPrevious genome-wide association studyGene prioritization strategyExternal biological resourcesExtreme polygenicityExpression specificityAssociated lociSignaling functionsGene setsAssociation studiesNeuronal differentiationFunctional interactionGenesLociBiological resourcesPolygenicityNovel strategyPrioritization strategiesSpecific hypothesesDifferentiationPathwayStatistical powerLarge numberTowards understanding and predicting suicidality in women: biomarkers and clinical risk assessment
Levey DF, Niculescu EM, Le-Niculescu H, Dainton HL, Phalen PL, Ladd TB, Weber H, Belanger E, Graham DL, Khan FN, Vanipenta NP, Stage EC, Ballew A, Yard M, Gelbart T, Shekhar A, Schork NJ, Kurian SM, Sandusky GE, Salomon DR, Niculescu AB. Towards understanding and predicting suicidality in women: biomarkers and clinical risk assessment. Molecular Psychiatry 2016, 21: 768-785. PMID: 27046645, DOI: 10.1038/mp.2016.31.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsFuture hospitalizationConvergent functional genomics approachSuicide completersPrimary end pointSingle blood biomarkerTop biomarkersReceiver-operating characteristic areaRisk prediction scoreClinical risk assessmentDisorder participantsIndependent test cohortForm of APPProphylactic benefitNeurotrophic effectsBlood biomarkersSleep abnormalitiesPsychiatric hospitalizationHospitalizationMood disordersTest cohortCandidate biomarkersSuicide completionSuicidal ideationDrug lithiumChronic stress
2024
Cross-ancestry genetic investigation of schizophrenia, cannabis use disorder, and tobacco smoking
Johnson E, Austin-Zimmerman I, Thorpe H, Levey D, Baranger D, Colbert S, Demontis D, Khokhar J, Davis L, Edenberg H, Di Forti M, Sanchez-Roige S, Gelernter J, Agrawal A. Cross-ancestry genetic investigation of schizophrenia, cannabis use disorder, and tobacco smoking. Neuropsychopharmacology 2024, 1-11. PMID: 38906991, DOI: 10.1038/s41386-024-01886-3.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCannabis use disorderUse disorderPleiotropic lociCo-occurring substance useHeavy cannabis useInvestigation of schizophreniaSubstance use disordersGenome-wide studiesGenetic factorsMental health conditionsExecutive functionCannabis useSubstance useLead variantsSchizophreniaGenetic variantsEuropean ancestryEuropean ancestry dataRisk-takingSCZHeritable factorsCannabisDisordersTobacco smokeGenetic correlationsGenome-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 surface
Academic Achievements and Community Involvement
Links & Media
News
- June 12, 2024
YSM, VA Researchers Complete First Genome-Wide Association Study of Epiretinal Membrane
- April 05, 2024Source: Molecular Psychiatry
Genetic Influences and Causal Pathways Shared Between Cannabis Use Disorder and Other Substance Use Traits
- March 20, 2024
From the journals
- December 07, 2023
VA/Yale Researchers Lead Multi-ancestry Study of Genetics of Problematic Alcohol Use