Associations between Suicidal Thoughts and Behaviors and Genetic Liability for Cognitive Performance, Depression, and Risk-Taking in a High-Risk Sample

Emma C Johnson; Fazil Aliev; Jacquelyn L Meyers; Jessica E Salvatore; Rebecca Tillman; Yoonhoo Chang; Anna R Docherty; Ryan Bogdan; Laura Acion; Grace Chan; David B Chorlian; Chella Kamarajan; Samuel Kuperman; Ashwini Pandey; Martin H Plawecki; Marc Schuckit; Jay Tischfield; Howard J Edenberg; Kathleen K Bucholz; John I Nurnberger; Bernice Porjesz; Victor Hesselbrock; Danielle M Dick; John R Kramer; Arpana Agrawal

doi:10.1159/000517169

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Associations between Suicidal Thoughts and Behaviors and Genetic Liability for Cognitive Performance, Depression, and Risk-Taking in a High-Risk Sample

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Associations between Suicidal Thoughts and Behaviors and Genetic Liability for Cognitive Performance, Depression, and Risk-Taking in a High-Risk Sample

Emma C Johnson, Fazil Aliev, Jacquelyn L Meyers, Jessica E Salvatore, Rebecca Tillman, Yoonhoo Chang, Anna R Docherty, Ryan Bogdan, Laura Acion, Grace Chan, …

Complex psychiatry, Vol.7(1-2), p.34

08/2021

DOI: 10.1159/000517169

PMCID: PMC8443930

PMID: 35592092

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Abstract

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. 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. 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. 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 ( = 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. Our results encourage the study of STB as transdiagnostic outcomes that show genetic overlap with a range of risk factors.

Polygenic risk scores

Impulsivity

GWAS

Depression

Cognitive function

Suicide

Details

Title: Subtitle: Associations between Suicidal Thoughts and Behaviors and Genetic Liability for Cognitive Performance, Depression, and Risk-Taking in a High-Risk Sample
Creators: Emma C Johnson - Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
Fazil Aliev - Virginia Commonwealth University
Jacquelyn L Meyers - Henri Begleiter Neurodynamics Lab, SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University, Brooklyn, New York, USA
Jessica E Salvatore - Virginia Commonwealth University
Rebecca Tillman - Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
Yoonhoo Chang - Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
Anna R Docherty - University of Utah
Ryan Bogdan - Washington University in St. Louis
Laura Acion - Universidad de Buenos Aires
Grace Chan - University of Connecticut
David B Chorlian - Department of Psychiatry, SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University, Brooklyn, New York, USA
Chella Kamarajan - Henri Begleiter Neurodynamics Lab, SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University, Brooklyn, New York, USA
Samuel Kuperman - University of Iowa
Ashwini Pandey - Department of Psychiatry, SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University, Brooklyn, New York, USA
Martin H Plawecki - Indiana University
Marc Schuckit - University of California San Diego
Jay Tischfield - Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
Howard J Edenberg - Indiana University
Kathleen K Bucholz - Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
John I Nurnberger - Indiana University
Bernice Porjesz - Henri Begleiter Neurodynamics Lab, SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University, Brooklyn, New York, USA
Victor Hesselbrock - University of Connecticut
Danielle M Dick - Virginia Commonwealth University
John R Kramer - University of Iowa
Arpana Agrawal - Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: Complex psychiatry, Vol.7(1-2), p.34
DOI: 10.1159/000517169
PMID: 35592092
PMCID: PMC8443930
NLM abbreviation: Complex Psychiatry
ISSN: 2673-3005
Language: English
Date published: 08/2021
Academic Unit: Psychiatry
Record Identifier: 9984293752202771

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