Logo image
Polygenic transmission disequilibrium confirms that common and rare variation act additively to create risk for autism spectrum disorders
Journal article   Peer reviewed

Polygenic transmission disequilibrium confirms that common and rare variation act additively to create risk for autism spectrum disorders

Jack A Kosmicki, Jakob Grove, Kaitlin E Samocha, Jacqueline I Goldstein, Aysu Okbay, Jonas Bybjerg-Grauholm, Thomas Werge, David M Hougaard, Jacob Taylor, David Skuse, …
Nature genetics, Vol.49(7), pp.978-985
07/2017
DOI: 10.1038/ng.3863
PMCID: PMC5552240
PMID: 28504703

View Online

Abstract

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) risk is influenced by common polygenic and de novo variation. We aimed to clarify the influence of polygenic risk for ASD and to identify subgroups of ASD cases, including those with strongly acting de novo variants, in which polygenic risk is relevant. Using a novel approach called the polygenic transmission disequilibrium test and data from 6,454 families with a child with ASD, we show that polygenic risk for ASD, schizophrenia, and greater educational attainment is over-transmitted to children with ASD. These findings hold independent of proband IQ. We find that polygenic variation contributes additively to risk in ASD cases who carry a strongly acting de novo variant. Lastly, we show that elements of polygenic risk are independent and differ in their relationship with phenotype. These results confirm that the genetic influences on ASD are additive and suggest that they create risk through at least partially distinct etiologic pathways.
Phenotype Adult Autism Spectrum Disorder - epidemiology Autism Spectrum Disorder - genetics Child Cohort Studies Educational Status Ethnicity - genetics Family Health Female Genetic Association Studies Genetic Predisposition to Disease Genetic Variation Genetics, Behavioral Humans Intellectual Disability - genetics Intelligence - genetics Male Multifactorial Inheritance Risk Factors Schizophrenia - genetics Sequence Deletion

Details

Logo image