Association Between Population Density and Genetic Risk for Schizophrenia

LucÍa Colodro-Conde, Baptiste Couvy-Duchesne, John B. Whitfield, Fabian Streit, Scott Gordon, Kathryn E. Kemper, Loic Yengo, Zhili Zheng, Maciej Trzaskowski, Eveline L. Zeeuw, Michel G. Nivard, Marjolijn Das, Rachel E. Neale, Stuart Macgregor, Catherine M. Olsen, David C. Whiteman, Dorret I. Boomsma, Jian Yang, Marcella Rietschel, John J. McGrathSarah E. Medland, Nicholas G. Martin

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

69 Citations (Scopus)
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Abstract

Question Are adults with higher genetic risk for schizophrenia more likely to live in urbanized and populated areas than those with lower risk?
Findings In this cross-sectional study of 4 community-based samples from Australia, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands, significantly higher genetic loading for schizophrenia was identified in participants living in more densely populated areas; mendelian randomization on a subsample suggests that schizophrenia may have a causal association with the tendency to live in urban areas.
Meaning The higher rates of schizophrenia in cities may be accentuated by selective migration to cities of participants with higher genetic risks.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)901-910
Number of pages10
JournalJAMA Psychiatry
Volume75
Issue number9
Early online date23 Jun 2018
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Sept 2018

Bibliographical note

Results of the study were presented at the 39th Annual Society for Mental Health Research Conference; December 6, 2017; Canberra, Australia.
This paper was presented at the 48th Behavior Genetics Annual Meeting; June 23, 2018; Boston, Massachusetts.

Research programs

  • ESSB SOC

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