Jessica E Salvatore1,2, Peter B Barr1, Mallory Stephenson1, Fazil Aliev1,3, Sally I-Chun Kuo1, Jinni Su4, Arpana Agrawal5, Laura Almasy6,7, Laura Bierut5, Kathleen Bucholz5, Grace Chan8, Howard J Edenberg9, Emma C Johnson5, Vivia V McCutcheon5, Jacquelyn L Meyers10, Marc Schuckit11, Jay Tischfield12, Leah Wetherill13, Danielle M Dick1,14,15. 1. Department of Psychology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA. 2. Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA. 3. Department of Business Administration, Karabuk University, Karabuk, Turkey. 4. Department of Psychology, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA. 5. Department of Psychiatry, Washington University, St Louis, MO, USA. 6. Department of Genetics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA. 7. Department of Biomedical and Health Informatics, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA. 8. Department of Psychiatry, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Farmington, CT, USA. 9. Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Indiana University, Indianapolis, IN, USA. 10. Department of Psychiatry, SUNY Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn, NY, USA. 11. Department of Psychiatry, University of California-San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA. 12. Department of Genetics and the Human Genetics Institute of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, USA. 13. Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics, Indiana University, Indianapolis, IN, USA. 14. Department of Human and Molecular Genetics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA. 15. College Behavioral and Emotional Health Institute, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA.
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The associations between low educational attainment and substance use disorders (SUDs) may be related to a common genetic vulnerability. We aimed to elucidate the associations between polygenic scores for educational attainment and clinical criterion counts for three SUDs (alcohol, nicotine and cannabis). DESIGN: Polygenic association and sibling comparison methods. The latter strengthens inferences in observational research by controlling for confounding factors that differ between families. SETTING: Six sites in the United States. PARTICIPANTS: European ancestry participants aged 25 years and older from the Collaborative Study on the Genetics of Alcoholism (COGA). Polygenic association analyses included 5582 (54% female) participants. Sibling comparisons included 3098 (52% female) participants from 1226 sibling groups nested within the overall sample. MEASUREMENTS: Outcomes included criterion counts for DSM-5 alcohol use disorder (AUDSX), Fagerström nicotine dependence (NDSX) and DSM-5 cannabis use disorder (CUDSX). We derived polygenic scores for educational attainment (EduYears-GPS) using summary statistics from a large (> 1 million) genome-wide association study of educational attainment. FINDINGS: In polygenic association analyses, higher EduYears-GPS predicted lower AUDSX, NDSX and CUDSX [P < 0.01, effect sizes (R2 ) ranging from 0.30 to 1.84%]. These effects were robust in sibling comparisons, where sibling differences in EduYears-GPS predicted all three SUDs (P < 0.05, R2 0.13-0.20%). CONCLUSIONS: Individuals who carry more alleles associated with educational attainment tend to meet fewer clinical criteria for alcohol, nicotine and cannabis use disorders, and these effects are robust to rigorous controls for potentially confounding factors that differ between families (e.g. socio-economic status, urban-rural residency and parental education).
BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The associations between low educational attainment and substance use disorders (SUDs) may be related to a common genetic vulnerability. We aimed to elucidate the associations between polygenic scores for educational attainment and clinical criterion counts for three SUDs (alcohol, nicotine and cannabis). DESIGN: Polygenic association and sibling comparison methods. The latter strengthens inferences in observational research by controlling for confounding factors that differ between families. SETTING: Six sites in the United States. PARTICIPANTS: European ancestry participants aged 25 years and older from the Collaborative Study on the Genetics of Alcoholism (COGA). Polygenic association analyses included 5582 (54% female) participants. Sibling comparisons included 3098 (52% female) participants from 1226 sibling groups nested within the overall sample. MEASUREMENTS: Outcomes included criterion counts for DSM-5 alcohol use disorder (AUDSX), Fagerström nicotine dependence (NDSX) and DSM-5 cannabis use disorder (CUDSX). We derived polygenic scores for educational attainment (EduYears-GPS) using summary statistics from a large (> 1 million) genome-wide association study of educational attainment. FINDINGS: In polygenic association analyses, higher EduYears-GPS predicted lower AUDSX, NDSX and CUDSX [P < 0.01, effect sizes (R2 ) ranging from 0.30 to 1.84%]. These effects were robust in sibling comparisons, where sibling differences in EduYears-GPS predicted all three SUDs (P < 0.05, R2 0.13-0.20%). CONCLUSIONS: Individuals who carry more alleles associated with educational attainment tend to meet fewer clinical criteria for alcohol, nicotine and cannabis use disorders, and these effects are robust to rigorous controls for potentially confounding factors that differ between families (e.g. socio-economic status, urban-rural residency and parental education).
Authors: Kathleen K Bucholz; Vivia V McCutcheon; Arpana Agrawal; Danielle M Dick; Victor M Hesselbrock; John R Kramer; Samuel Kuperman; John I Nurnberger; Jessica E Salvatore; Marc A Schuckit; Laura J Bierut; Tatiana M Foroud; Grace Chan; Michie Hesselbrock; Jacquelyn L Meyers; Howard J Edenberg; Bernice Porjesz Journal: Alcohol Clin Exp Res Date: 2017-01-10 Impact factor: 3.455
Authors: Julia D Grant; Jeffrey F Scherrer; Michael T Lynskey; Arpana Agrawal; Alexis E Duncan; Jon Randolph Haber; Andrew C Heath; Kathleen K Bucholz Journal: Alcohol Clin Exp Res Date: 2012-05-15 Impact factor: 3.455
Authors: Evan A Winiger; Jarrod M Ellingson; Claire L Morrison; Robin P Corley; Joëlle A Pasman; Tamara L Wall; Christian J Hopfer; John K Hewitt Journal: Sleep Date: 2021-03-12 Impact factor: 5.849