1. Genetic contributions to variation in general cognitive function: a meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies in the CHARGE consortium (N=53949).
- Author
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Davies G, Armstrong N, Bis JC, Bressler J, Chouraki V, Giddaluru S, Hofer E, Ibrahim-Verbaas CA, Kirin M, Lahti J, van der Lee SJ, Le Hellard S, Liu T, Marioni RE, Oldmeadow C, Postmus I, Smith AV, Smith JA, Thalamuthu A, Thomson R, Vitart V, Wang J, Yu L, Zgaga L, Zhao W, Boxall R, Harris SE, Hill WD, Liewald DC, Luciano M, Adams H, Ames D, Amin N, Amouyel P, Assareh AA, Au R, Becker JT, Beiser A, Berr C, Bertram L, Boerwinkle E, Buckley BM, Campbell H, Corley J, De Jager PL, Dufouil C, Eriksson JG, Espeseth T, Faul JD, Ford I, Gottesman RF, Griswold ME, Gudnason V, Harris TB, Heiss G, Hofman A, Holliday EG, Huffman J, Kardia SL, Kochan N, Knopman DS, Kwok JB, Lambert JC, Lee T, Li G, Li SC, Loitfelder M, Lopez OL, Lundervold AJ, Lundqvist A, Mather KA, Mirza SS, Nyberg L, Oostra BA, Palotie A, Papenberg G, Pattie A, Petrovic K, Polasek O, Psaty BM, Redmond P, Reppermund S, Rotter JI, Schmidt H, Schuur M, Schofield PW, Scott RJ, Steen VM, Stott DJ, van Swieten JC, Taylor KD, Trollor J, Trompet S, Uitterlinden AG, Weinstein G, Widen E, Windham BG, Jukema JW, Wright AF, Wright MJ, Yang Q, Amieva H, Attia JR, Bennett DA, Brodaty H, de Craen AJ, Hayward C, Ikram MA, Lindenberger U, Nilsson LG, Porteous DJ, Räikkönen K, Reinvang I, Rudan I, Sachdev PS, Schmidt R, Schofield PR, Srikanth V, Starr JM, Turner ST, Weir DR, Wilson JF, van Duijn C, Launer L, Fitzpatrick AL, Seshadri S, Mosley TH Jr, and Deary IJ
- Subjects
- Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Atherosclerosis complications, Cognition Disorders etiology, Cohort Studies, Female, Genome-Wide Association Study, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Neuropsychological Tests, Phenotype, Scotland, Cognition physiology, Cognition Disorders genetics, Genetic Predisposition to Disease genetics, HMGN1 Protein genetics, Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide genetics
- Abstract
General cognitive function is substantially heritable across the human life course from adolescence to old age. We investigated the genetic contribution to variation in this important, health- and well-being-related trait in middle-aged and older adults. We conducted a meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies of 31 cohorts (N=53,949) in which the participants had undertaken multiple, diverse cognitive tests. A general cognitive function phenotype was tested for, and created in each cohort by principal component analysis. We report 13 genome-wide significant single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) associations in three genomic regions, 6q16.1, 14q12 and 19q13.32 (best SNP and closest gene, respectively: rs10457441, P=3.93 × 10(-9), MIR2113; rs17522122, P=2.55 × 10(-8), AKAP6; rs10119, P=5.67 × 10(-9), APOE/TOMM40). We report one gene-based significant association with the HMGN1 gene located on chromosome 21 (P=1 × 10(-6)). These genes have previously been associated with neuropsychiatric phenotypes. Meta-analysis results are consistent with a polygenic model of inheritance. To estimate SNP-based heritability, the genome-wide complex trait analysis procedure was applied to two large cohorts, the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study (N=6617) and the Health and Retirement Study (N=5976). The proportion of phenotypic variation accounted for by all genotyped common SNPs was 29% (s.e.=5%) and 28% (s.e.=7%), respectively. Using polygenic prediction analysis, ~1.2% of the variance in general cognitive function was predicted in the Generation Scotland cohort (N=5487; P=1.5 × 10(-17)). In hypothesis-driven tests, there was significant association between general cognitive function and four genes previously associated with Alzheimer's disease: TOMM40, APOE, ABCG1 and MEF2C.
- Published
- 2015
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