| Abstract | Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common and highly heritable disorder, but specific genetic factors underlying risk remain elusive. To assess the role of structural variation in ADHD, we identified 222 inherited copy number variations (CNVs) within 335 ADHD patients and their parents that were not detected in 2026 unrelated healthy individuals. Although no excess CNVs, either deletions or duplications, were found in the ADHD cohort relative to controls, the inherited rare CNV-associated gene set was significantly enriched for genes reported as candidates in studies of autism, schizophrenia and Tourette syndrome, including A2BP1, AUTS2, CNTNAP2 and IMMP2L. The ADHD CNV gene set was also significantly enriched for genes known to be important for psychological and neurological functions, including learning, behavior, synaptic transmission and central nervous system development. Four independent deletions were located within the protein tyrosine phosphatase gene, PTPRD, recently implicated as a candidate gene for restless legs syndrome, which frequently presents with ADHD. A deletion within the glutamate receptor gene, GRM5, was found in an affected parent and all three affected offspring whose ADHD phenotypes closely resembled those of the GRM5 null mouse. Together, these results suggest that rare inherited structural variations play an important role in ADHD development and indicate a set of putative candidate genes for further study in the etiology of ADHD. |
| Abstract | schizophrenia is a common, clinically heterogeneous disorder associated with lifelong morbidity and early mortality. Several genetic variants associated with schizophrenia have been identified, but the majority of the heritability remains unknown. In this study, we report on a case-control sample of Ashkenazi Jews (AJ), a founder population that may provide additional insights into genetic etiology of schizophrenia. We performed a genome-wide association analysis (GWAS) of 592 cases and 505 controls of AJ ancestry ascertained in the US. Subsequently, we performed a meta-analysis with an Israeli AJ sample of 913 cases and 1640 controls, followed by a meta-analysis and polygenic risk scoring using summary results from Psychiatric GWAS Consortium 2 schizophrenia study. The U.S. AJ sample showed strong evidence of polygenic inheritance (pseudo-R(2) ?9.7%) and a SNP-heritability estimate of 0.39 (P?=?0.00046). We found no genome-wide significant associations in the U.S. sample or in the combined US/Israeli AJ meta-analysis of 1505 cases and 2145 controls. The strongest AJ specific associations (P-values in 10(-6) -10(-7) range) were in the 22q 11.2 deletion region and included the genes TBX1, GLN1, and COMT. Supportive evidence (meta P?IMMP2L, and GRIN2A. The meta-analysis of the U.S. sample with the PGC2 results provided initial genome-wide significant evidence for six new loci. Among the novel potential susceptibility genes is PEPD, a gene involved in proline metabolism, which is associated with a Mendelian disorder characterized by developmental delay and cognitive deficits. |