Browsing by Author "Nurnberger, John I."
Now showing 1 - 10 of 44
Results Per Page
Sort Options
Item Alcohol Use Disorder Polygenic Score Compared With Family History and ADH1B(American Medical Association, 2024-12-02) Lai, Dongbing; Zhang, Michael; Abreu, Marco; Schwantes-An, Tae-Hwi; Chan, Grace; Dick, Danielle M.; Kamarajan, Chella; Kuang, Weipeng; Nurnberger, John I.; Plawecki, Martin H.; Rice, John; Schuckit, Marc; Porjesz, Bernice; Liu, Yunlong; Foroud, Tatiana; Medical and Molecular Genetics, School of MedicineImportance: Identification of individuals at high risk of alcohol use disorder (AUD) and subsequent application of prevention and intervention programs has been reported to decrease the incidence of AUD. The polygenic score (PGS), which measures an individual's genetic liability to a disease, can potentially be used to evaluate AUD risk. Objective: To assess the estimability and generalizability of the PGS, compared with family history and ADH1B, in evaluating the risk of AUD among populations of European ancestry. Design, setting, and participants: This genetic association study was conducted between October 1, 2023, and May 21, 2024. A 2-stage design was used. First, the pruning and thresholding method was used to calculate PGSs in the screening stage. Second, the estimability and generalizability of the best PGS was determined using 2 independent samples in the testing stage. Three cohorts ascertained to study AUD were used in the screening stage: the Collaborative Study on the Genetics of Alcoholism (COGA), the Study of Addiction: Genetics and Environment (SAGE), and the Australian Twin-Family Study of Alcohol Use Disorder (OZALC). The All of Us Research Program (AOU), which comprises participants with diverse backgrounds and conditions, and the Indiana Biobank (IB), consisting of Indiana University Health system patients, were used to test the best PGS. For the COGA, SAGE, and OZALC cohorts, cases with AUD were determined using Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) or Fifth Edition (DSM-5) criteria; controls did not meet any criteria or did not have any other substance use disorders. For the AOU and IB cohorts, cases with AUD were identified using International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9) or International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes; controls were aged 21 years or older and did not have AUD. Exposure: The PGS was calculated using single-nucleotide variants with concordant effects in 3 large-scale genome-wide association studies of AUD-related phenotypes. Main outcomes and measures: The main outcome was AUD determined with DSM-IV or DSM-5 criteria and ICD-9 or ICD-10 codes. Generalized linear mixed models and logistic regression models were used to analyze related and unrelated samples, respectively. Results: The COGA, SAGE, and OZALC cohorts included a total of 8799 samples (6323 cases and 2476 controls; 50.6% were men). The AOU cohort had a total of 116 064 samples (5660 cases and 110 404 controls; 60.4% were women). The IB cohort had 6373 samples (936 cases and 5437 controls; 54.9% were women). The 5% of samples with the highest PGS in the AOU and IB cohorts were approximately 2 times more likely to develop AUD (odds ratio [OR], 1.96 [95% CI, 1.78-2.16]; P = 4.10 × 10-43; and OR, 2.07 [95% CI, 1.59-2.71]; P = 9.15 × 10-8, respectively) compared with the remaining 95% of samples; these ORs were comparable to family history of AUD. For the 5% of samples with the lowest PGS in the AOU and IB cohorts, the risk of AUD development was approximately half (OR, 0.53 [95% CI, 0.45-0.62]; P = 6.98 × 10-15; and OR, 0.57 [95% CI, 0.39-0.84]; P = 4.88 × 10-3) compared with the remaining 95% of samples; these ORs were comparable to the protective effect of ADH1B. PGS had similar estimabilities in male and female individuals. Conclusions and relevance: In this study of AUD risk among populations of European ancestry, PGSs were calculated using concordant single-nucleotide variants and the best PGS was tested in targeted datasets. The findings suggest that the PGS may potentially be used to evaluate AUD risk. More datasets with similar AUD prevalence as in general populations are needed to further test the generalizability of PGS.Item Assessment of First and Second Degree Relatives of Individuals With Bipolar Disorder Shows Increased Genetic Risk Scores in Both Affected Relatives and Young At-Risk Individuals(Wiley, 2015-10) Fullerton, Janice M.; Koller, Daniel L.; Edenberg, Howard J.; Foroud, Tatiana; Liu, Hai; Glowinski, Anne L.; McInnis, Melvin G.; Wilcox, Holly C.; Frankland, Andrew; Roberts, Gloria; Schofield, Peter R.; Mitchell, Philip B.; Nurnberger, John I.; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, IU School of MedicineRecent studies have revealed the polygenic nature of bipolar disorder (BP), and identified common risk variants associated with illness. However, the role of common polygenic risk in multiplex families has not previously been examined. The present study examined 249 European-ancestry families from the NIMH Genetics Initiative sample, comparing subjects with narrowly defined BP (excluding bipolar II and recurrent unipolar depression; n = 601) and their adult relatives without BP (n = 695). Unrelated adult controls (n = 266) were from the NIMH TGEN control dataset. We also examined a prospective cohort of young (12–30 years) offspring and siblings of individuals with BPI and BPII disorder (at risk; n = 367) and psychiatrically screened controls (n = 229), ascertained from five sites in the US and Australia and assessed with standardized clinical protocols. Thirty-two disease-associated SNPs from the PGC-BP Working Group report (2011) were genotyped and additive polygenic risk scores (PRS) derived. We show increased PRS in adult cases compared to unrelated controls (P = 3.4 × 10−5, AUC = 0.60). In families with a high-polygenic load (PRS score ≥32 in two or more subjects), PRS distinguished cases with BPI/SAB from other relatives (P = 0.014, RR = 1.32). Secondly, a higher PRS was observed in at-risk youth, regardless of affected status, compared to unrelated controls (GEE-χ2 = 5.15, P = 0.012). This report is the first to explore common polygenic risk in multiplex families, albeit using only a small number of robustly associated risk variants. We show that individuals with BP have a higher load of common disease-associated variants than unrelated controls and first-degree relatives, and illustrate the potential utility of PRS assessment in a family context.Item Associations between alcohol use disorder polygenic score and remission in participants from high-risk families and the Indiana Biobank(Wiley, 2024) Lai, Dongbing; Kuo, Sally I-Chun; Wetherill, Leah; Aliev, Fazil; Zhang, Michael; Marco, Abreu; Schwantes-An, Tae-Hwi; Dick, Danielle; Francis, Meredith W.; Johnson, Emma C.; Kamarajan, Chella; Kinreich, Sivan; Kuperman, Samuel; Meyers, Jacquelyn; Nurnberger, John I.; Liu, Yunlong; Edenberg, Howard J.; Porjesz, Bernice; Agrawal, Arpana; Foroud, Tatiana; Schuckit, Marc; Plawecki, Martin H.; Bucholz, Kathleen K.; McCutcheon, Vivia V.; Medical and Molecular Genetics, School of MedicineBackground: In the United States, ~50% of individuals who meet criteria for alcohol use disorder (AUD) during their lifetimes do not remit. We previously reported that a polygenic score for AUD (PGSAUD ) was positively associated with AUD severity as measured by DSM-5 lifetime criterion count, and AUD severity was negatively associated with remission. Thus, we hypothesized that PGSAUD would be negatively associated with remission. Methods: Individuals of European (EA) and African ancestry (AA) from the Collaborative Study on the Genetics of Alcoholism (COGA) who met lifetime criteria for AUD, and two EA cohorts ascertained for studies of liver diseases and substance use disorders from the Indiana Biobank were included. In COGA, 12-month remission was defined as any period of ≥12 consecutive months without meeting AUD criteria except craving and was further categorized as abstinent and non-abstinent. In the Indiana Biobank, remission was defined based on ICD codes and could not be further distinguished as abstinent or non-abstinent. Sex and age were included as covariates. COGA analyses included additional adjustment for AUD severity, family history of remission, and AUD treatment history. Results: In COGA EA, PGSAUD was negatively associated with 12-month and non-abstinent remission (p ≤ 0.013, βs between -0.15 and -0.10) after adjusting for all covariates. In contrast to the COGA findings, PGSAUD was positively associated with remission (p = 0.004, β = 0.28) in the Indiana Biobank liver diseases cohort but not in the Indiana Biobank substance use disorder cohort (p = 0.17, β = 0.15). Conclusions: PGSAUD was negatively associated with 12-month and non-abstinent remission in COGA EA, independent of behavioral measures of AUD severity and family history of remission. The discrepant results in COGA and the Indiana Biobank could reflect different ascertainment strategies: the Indiana Biobank participants were older and had higher rates of liver disease, suggesting that these individuals remitted due to alcohol-related health conditions that manifested in later life.Item Associations Between Cannabis Use, Polygenic Liability for Schizophrenia, and Cannabis-related Experiences in a Sample of Cannabis Users(Oxford University Press, 2023) Johnson, Emma C.; Colbert, Sarah M. C.; Jeffries, Paul W.; Tillman, Rebecca; Bigdeli, Tim B.; Karcher, Nicole R.; Chan, Grace; Kuperman, Samuel; Meyers, Jacquelyn L.; Nurnberger, John I.; Plawecki, Martin H.; Degenhardt, Louisa; Martin, Nicholas G.; Kamarajan, Chella; Schuckit, Marc A.; Murray, Robin M.; Dick, Danielle M.; Edenberg, Howard J.; D'Souza, Deepak Cyril; Di Forti, Marta; Porjesz, Bernice; Nelson, Elliot C.; Agrawal, Arpana; Medical and Molecular Genetics, School of MedicineBackground and hypothesis: Risk for cannabis use and schizophrenia is influenced in part by genetic factors, and there is evidence that genetic risk for schizophrenia is associated with subclinical psychotic-like experiences (PLEs). Few studies to date have examined whether genetic risk for schizophrenia is associated with cannabis-related PLEs. Study design: We tested whether measures of cannabis involvement and polygenic risk scores (PRS) for schizophrenia were associated with self-reported cannabis-related experiences in a sample ascertained for alcohol use disorders (AUDs), the Collaborative Study on the Genetics of Alcoholism (COGA). We analyzed 4832 subjects (3128 of European ancestry and 1704 of African ancestry; 42% female; 74% meeting lifetime criteria for an AUD). Study results: Cannabis use disorder (CUD) was prevalent in this analytic sample (70%), with 40% classified as mild, 25% as moderate, and 35% as severe. Polygenic risk for schizophrenia was positively associated with cannabis-related paranoia, feeling depressed or anhedonia, social withdrawal, and cognitive difficulties, even when controlling for duration of daily cannabis use, CUD, and age at first cannabis use. The schizophrenia PRS was most robustly associated with cannabis-related cognitive difficulties (β = 0.22, SE = 0.04, P = 5.2e-7). In an independent replication sample (N = 1446), associations between the schizophrenia PRS and cannabis-related experiences were in the expected direction and not statistically different in magnitude from those in the COGA sample. Conclusions: Among individuals who regularly use cannabis, genetic liability for schizophrenia-even in those without clinical features-may increase the likelihood of reporting unusual experiences related to cannabis use.Item Associations between Suicidal Thoughts and Behaviors and Genetic Liability for Cognitive Performance, Depression, and Risk-Taking in a High-Risk Sample(Karger, 2021) Johnson, Emma C.; Aliev, Fazil; Meyers, Jacquelyn L.; Salvatore, Jessica E.; Tillman, Rebecca; Chang, Yoonhoo; Docherty, Anna R.; Bogdan, Ryan; Acion, Laura; Chan, Grace; Chorlian, David B.; Kamarajan, Chella; Kuperman, Samuel; Pandey, Ashwini; Plawecki, Martin H.; Schuckit, Marc; Tischfield, Jay; Edenberg, Howard J.; Bucholz, Kathleen K.; Nurnberger, John I.; Porjesz, Bernice; Hesselbrock, Victor; Dick, Danielle M.; Kramer, John R.; Agrawal, Arpana; Psychiatry, School of MedicineBackground: Suicidal thoughts and behaviors (STBs) and nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) behaviors are moderately heritable and may reflect an underlying predisposition to depression, impulsivity, and cognitive vulnerabilities to varying degrees. Objectives: We aimed to estimate the degrees of association between genetic liability to depression, impulsivity, and cognitive performance and STBs and NSSI in a high-risk sample. Methods: We used data on 7,482 individuals of European ancestry and 3,359 individuals of African ancestry from the Collaborative Study on the Genetics of Alcoholism to examine the links between polygenic scores (PGSs) for depression, impulsivity/risk-taking, and cognitive performance with 3 self-reported indices of STBs (suicidal ideation, persistent suicidal ideation defined as ideation occurring on at least 7 consecutive days, and suicide attempt) and with NSSI. Results: The PGS for depression was significantly associated with all 4 primary self-harm measures, explaining 0.6-2.5% of the variance. The PGS for risk-taking behaviors was also associated with all 4 self-harm behaviors in baseline models, but was no longer associated after controlling for a lifetime measure of DSM-IV alcohol dependence and abuse symptom counts. Polygenic predisposition for cognitive performance was negatively associated with suicide attempts (q = 3.8e-4) but was not significantly associated with suicidal ideation nor NSSI. We did not find any significant associations in the African ancestry subset, likely due to smaller sample sizes. Conclusions: Our results encourage the study of STB as transdiagnostic outcomes that show genetic overlap with a range of risk factors.Item Atypical Cortical Activation during Risky Decision-making in Disruptive Behavior Disordered Youth with Histories of Suicidal Ideation(Elsevier, 2020) Dir, Allyson L.; Allebach, Christian L.; Hummer, Tom A.; Adams, Zachary; Aalsma, Matthew C.; Finn, Peter R.; Nurnberger, John I.; Hulvershorn, Leslie A.; Psychiatry, School of MedicineBackground: Suicidality is a leading cause of death among adolescents. In addition to other psychiatric conditions, youths with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and disruptive behavior disorders (DBDs) are at heightened risk for suicide. Decision-making deficits are a hallmark symptom of ADHD and DBDs and are also implicated in suicidal behavior. We examined behavioral and neural differences in decision making among youths with ADHD and DBDs with (SI+) and without (SI-) histories of suicidal ideation. Methods: The Balloon Analog Risk Task, a risky decision-making task, was completed by 57 youths with ADHD and DBDs (38% SI+) during functional magnetic resonance imaging. Mean stop wager (mean wager at which youths bank money) was the primary measure of risk taking. We conducted whole-brain and region-of-interest analyses in the anterior cingulate cortex and orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) during choice (win vs. inflate) and outcome (inflate vs. explode) contrasts using parametric modulators accounting for probability of balloon explosion. Results: There were no differences between SI+ and SI- youths in Balloon Analog Risk Task performance. SI+ youths showed decreasing activation in the right medial frontal gyrus when choosing inflate as explosion probability increased compared with SI- youths. During explosions, SI- youths showed increasing activation in the left OFC as explosions became more likely. SI+ showed increasing left medial OFC activity in response to inflations as explosion probability increased. Conclusions: SI+ youths may show heightened sensitivity to immediate reward and decreased sensitivity to potential loss as evidenced by medial frontal gyrus activity. OFC findings suggest that SI+ youths may be drawn to reward even when there is high probability of loss.Item The Autism Simplex Collection: an international, expertly phenotyped autism sample for genetic and phenotypic analyses(BioMed Central, 2014-05) Buxbaum, Joseph D.; Bolshakova, Nadia; Brownfeld, Jessica M.; Anney, Richard J. L.; Bender, Patrick; Bernier, Raphael; Cook, Edwin H.; Coon, Hilary; Cuccaro, Michael; Freitag, Christine M.; Hallmayer, Joachim; Geschwind, Daniel; Klauck, Sabine M.; Nurnberger, John I.; Oliveira, Guiomar; Pinto, Dalila; Poustka, Fritz; Scherer, Stephen W.; Shih, Andy; Sutcliffe, James S.; Szatmari, Peter; Vicente, Astrid M.; Vieland, Veronica; Gallagher, Louise; Department of Psychiatry, IU School of MedicineBackground There is an urgent need for expanding and enhancing autism spectrum disorder (ASD) samples, in order to better understand causes of ASD. Methods In a unique public-private partnership, 13 sites with extensive experience in both the assessment and diagnosis of ASD embarked on an ambitious, 2-year program to collect samples for genetic and phenotypic research and begin analyses on these samples. The program was called The Autism Simplex Collection (TASC). TASC sample collection began in 2008 and was completed in 2010, and included nine sites from North America and four sites from Western Europe, as well as a centralized Data Coordinating Center. Results Over 1,700 trios are part of this collection, with DNA from transformed cells now available through the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADI-R) and Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule-Generic (ADOS-G) measures are available for all probands, as are standardized IQ measures, Vineland Adaptive Behavioral Scales (VABS), the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS), Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT), and physical measures (height, weight, and head circumference). At almost every site, additional phenotypic measures were collected, including the Broad Autism Phenotype Questionnaire (BAPQ) and Repetitive Behavior Scale-Revised (RBS-R), as well as the non-word repetition scale, Communication Checklist (Children’s or Adult), and Aberrant Behavior Checklist (ABC). Moreover, for nearly 1,000 trios, the Autism Genome Project Consortium (AGP) has carried out Illumina 1 M SNP genotyping and called copy number variation (CNV) in the samples, with data being made available through the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Whole exome sequencing (WES) has been carried out in over 500 probands, together with ancestry matched controls, and this data is also available through the NIH. Additional WES is being carried out by the Autism Sequencing Consortium (ASC), where the focus is on sequencing complete trios. ASC sequencing for the first 1,000 samples (all from whole-blood DNA) is complete and data will be released in 2014. Data is being made available through NIH databases (database of Genotypes and Phenotypes (dbGaP) and National Database for Autism Research (NDAR)) with DNA released in Dist 11.0. Primary funding for the collection, genotyping, sequencing and distribution of TASC samples was provided by Autism Speaks and the NIH, including the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and the National Human Genetics Research Institute (NHGRI). Conclusions TASC represents an important sample set that leverages expert sites. Similar approaches, leveraging expert sites and ongoing studies, represent an important path towards further enhancing available ASD samples.Item Celebrating the Legacy of the Institute of Psychiatric Research (IPR), and Moving Brain Research Forward(2022-06-22) Lahiri, Debomoy K.; Nurnberger, John I.The Institute for Psychiatric Research (IPR) at Indiana University (IU) School of Medicine was a free-standing four-story building on the main IUPUI campus (791 Union Drive) just east of Eskenazi Hospital's present location. It was built in 1955-56 by the State of Indiana to house the laboratories of neuroscience investigators operating under the leadership of the IU Department of Psychiatry. For nearly six decades IPR was the home of innovative research (primarily NIH-funded) in neurochemistry, electrophysiology, genetics, neuroanatomy, animal behavior, and molecular biology. For many years it was also the home of neuroscience education on the IUPUI campus. In 2014 the IPR building was demolished as part of the construction of Eskenazi hospital to replace the venerable Wishard hospital campus. IPR faculty relocated to the IU Neuroscience Building at 320 West 15th Street, where they now continue their work along with researchers at Stark Neurosciences Research Institute and other departments. Former IPR faculty Debomoy Lahiri and John Nurnberger have assembled a history of IPR along with illustrations of the building and the faculty and staff who worked there and contributed significantly to psychiatric research.Item Characterisation of age and polarity at onset in bipolar disorder(Cambridge University Press, 2021-12) Kalman, Janos L.; Olde Loohuis, Loes M.; Vreeker, Annabel; McQuillin, Andrew; Stahl, Eli A.; Ruderfer, Douglas; Grigoroiu-Serbanescu, Maria; Panagiotaropoulou, Georgia; Ripke, Stephan; Bigdeli, Tim B.; Stein, Frederike; Meller, Tina; Meinert, Susanne; Pelin, Helena; Streit, Fabian; Papiol, Sergi; Adams, Mark J.; Adolfsson, Rolf; Adorjan, Kristina; Agartz, Ingrid; Aminoff, Sofie R.; Anderson-Schmidt, Heike; Andreassen, Ole A.; Ardau, Raffaella; Aubry, Jean-Michel; Balaban, Ceylan; Bass, Nicholas; Baune, Bernhard T.; Bellivier, Frank; Benabarre, Antoni; Bengesser, Susanne; Berrettini, Wade H.; Boks, Marco P.; Bromet, Evelyn J.; Brosch, Katharina; Budde, Monika; Byerley, William; Cervantes, Pablo; Chillotti, Catina; Cichon, Sven; Clark, Scott R.; Comes, Ashley L.; Corvin, Aiden; Coryell, William; Craddock, Nick; Craig, David W.; Croarkin, Paul E.; Cruceanu, Cristiana; Czerski, Piotr M.; Dalkner, Nina; Dannlowski, Udo; Degenhardt, Franziska; Del Zompo, Maria; DePaulo, J. Raymond; Djurovic, Srdjan; Edenberg, Howard J.; Al Eissa, Mariam; Elvsåshagen, Torbjørn; Etain, Bruno; Fanous, Ayman H.; Fellendorf, Frederike; Fiorentino, Alessia; Forstner, Andreas J.; Frye, Mark A.; Fullerton, Janice M.; Gade, Katrin; Garnham, Julie; Gershon, Elliot; Gill, Michael; Goes, Fernando S.; Gordon-Smith, Katherine; Grof, Paul; Guzman-Parra, Jose; Hahn, Tim; Hasler, Roland; Heilbronner, Maria; Heilbronner, Urs; Jamain, Stephane; Jimenez, Esther; Jones, Ian; Jones, Lisa; Jonsson, Lina; Kahn, Rene S.; Kelsoe, John R.; Kennedy, James L.; Kircher, Tilo; Kirov, George; Kittel-Schneider, Sarah; Klöhn-Saghatolislam, Farah; Knowles, James A.; Kranz, Thorsten M.; Lagerberg, Trine Vik; Landen, Mikael; Lawson, William B.; Leboyer, Marion; Li, Qingqin S.; Maj, Mario; Malaspina, Dolores; Manchia, Mirko; Mayoral, Fermin; McElroy, Susan L.; McInnis, Melvin G.; McIntosh, Andrew M.; Medeiros, Helena; Melle, Ingrid; Milanova, Vihra; Mitchell, Philip B.; Monteleone, Palmiero; Monteleone, Alessio Maria; Nöthen, Markus M.; Novak, Tomas; Nurnberger, John I.; O'Brien, Niamh; O'Connell, Kevin S.; O'Donovan, Claire; O'Donovan, Michael C.; Opel, Nils; Ortiz, Abigail; Owen, Michael J.; Pålsson, Erik; Pato, Carlos; Pato, Michele T.; Pawlak, Joanna; Pfarr, Julia-Katharina; Pisanu, Claudia; Potash, James B.; Rapaport, Mark H.; Reich-Erkelenz, Daniela; Reif, Andreas; Reininghaus, Eva; Repple, Jonathan; Richard-Lepouriel, Hélène; Rietschel, Marcella; Ringwald, Kai; Roberts, Gloria; Rouleau, Guy; Schaupp, Sabrina; Scheftner, William A.; Schmitt, Simon; Schofield, Peter R.; Schubert, K. Oliver; Schulte, Eva C.; Schweizer, Barbara; Senner, Fanny; Severino, Giovanni; Sharp, Sally; Slaney, Claire; Smeland, Olav B.; Sobell, Janet L.; Squassina, Alessio; Stopkova, Pavla; Strauss, John; Tortorella, Alfonso; Turecki, Gustavo; Twarowska-Hauser, Joanna; Veldic, Marin; Vieta, Eduard; Vincent, John B.; Xu, Wei; Zai, Clement C.; Zandi, Peter P.; Psychiatric Genomics Consortium (PGC) Bipolar Disorder Working Group; International Consortium on Lithium Genetics (ConLiGen); Colombia-US Cross Disorder Collaboration in Psychiatric Genetics; Di Florio, Arianna; Smoller, Jordan W.; Biernacka, Joanna M.; McMahon, Francis J.; Alda, Martin; Müller-Myhsok, Bertram; Koutsouleris, Nikolaos; Falkai, Peter; Freimer, Nelson B.; Andlauer, Till F.M.; Schulze, Thomas G.; Ophoff, Roel A.; Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of MedicineBackground: Studying phenotypic and genetic characteristics of age at onset (AAO) and polarity at onset (PAO) in bipolar disorder can provide new insights into disease pathology and facilitate the development of screening tools. Aims: To examine the genetic architecture of AAO and PAO and their association with bipolar disorder disease characteristics. Method: Genome-wide association studies (GWASs) and polygenic score (PGS) analyses of AAO (n = 12 977) and PAO (n = 6773) were conducted in patients with bipolar disorder from 34 cohorts and a replication sample (n = 2237). The association of onset with disease characteristics was investigated in two of these cohorts. Results: Earlier AAO was associated with a higher probability of psychotic symptoms, suicidality, lower educational attainment, not living together and fewer episodes. Depressive onset correlated with suicidality and manic onset correlated with delusions and manic episodes. Systematic differences in AAO between cohorts and continents of origin were observed. This was also reflected in single-nucleotide variant-based heritability estimates, with higher heritabilities for stricter onset definitions. Increased PGS for autism spectrum disorder (β = -0.34 years, s.e. = 0.08), major depression (β = -0.34 years, s.e. = 0.08), schizophrenia (β = -0.39 years, s.e. = 0.08), and educational attainment (β = -0.31 years, s.e. = 0.08) were associated with an earlier AAO. The AAO GWAS identified one significant locus, but this finding did not replicate. Neither GWAS nor PGS analyses yielded significant associations with PAO. Conclusions: AAO and PAO are associated with indicators of bipolar disorder severity. Individuals with an earlier onset show an increased polygenic liability for a broad spectrum of psychiatric traits. Systematic differences in AAO across cohorts, continents and phenotype definitions introduce significant heterogeneity, affecting analyses.Item Characteristics of Bipolar I patients grouped by externalizing disorders(Elsevier, 2015-06-01) Swaminathan, Shanker; Koller, Daniel L.; Foroud, Tatiana; Edenberg, Howard J.; Xuei, Xiaoling; Niculescu, Alexander B.; Bipolar Genome Study (BiGS) Consortium; Nurnberger, John I.; Department of Psychiatry, IU School of MedicineBACKGROUND: Bipolar disorder co-occurs with a number of disorders with externalizing features. The aim of this study is to determine whether Bipolar I (BPI) subjects with comorbid externalizing disorders and a subgroup with externalizing symptoms prior to age 15 have different clinical features than those without externalizing disorders and whether these could be attributed to specific genetic variations. METHODS: A large cohort (N=2505) of Bipolar I subjects was analyzed. Course of illness parameters were compared between an Externalizing Group, an Early-Onset Subgroup and a Non-Externalizing Group in the Discovery sample (N=1268). Findings were validated using an independent set of 1237 BPI subjects (Validation sample). Genetic analyses were carried out. RESULTS: Subjects in the Externalizing Group (and Early-Onset Subgroup) tended to have a more severe clinical course, even in areas specifically related to mood disorder such as cycling frequency and rapid mood switching. Regression analysis showed that the differences are not completely explainable by substance use. Genetic analyses identified nominally associated SNPs; calcium channel genes were not enriched in the gene variants identified. LIMITATIONS: Validation in independent samples is needed to confirm the genetic findings in the present study. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings support the presence of an externalizing disorder subphenotype within BPI with greater severity of mood disorder and possible specific genetic features.