Common Genetic Variation And Age at Onset Of Anorexia Nervosa

Background Genetics and biology may influence the age at onset of anorexia nervosa (AN). The aims of this study were to determine whether common genetic variation contributes to AN age at onset and to investigate the genetic associations between age at onset of AN and age at menarche. Methods A secondary analysis of the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium genome-wide association study (GWAS) of AN was performed which included 9,335 cases and 31,981 screened controls, all from European ancestries. We conducted GWASs of age at onset, early-onset AN (< 13 years), and typical-onset AN, and genetic correlation, genetic risk score, and Mendelian randomization analyses. Results Two loci were genome-wide significant in the typical-onset AN GWAS. Heritability estimates (SNP-h2) were 0.01-0.04 for age at onset, 0.16-0.25 for early-onset AN, and 0.17-0.25 for typical-onset AN. Early- and typical-onset AN showed distinct genetic correlation patterns with putative risk factors for AN. Specifically, early-onset AN was significantly genetically correlated with younger age at menarche, and typical-onset AN was significantly negatively genetically correlated with anthropometric traits. Genetic risk scores for age at onset and early-onset AN estimated from independent GWASs significantly predicted age at onset. Mendelian randomization analysis suggested a causal link between younger age at menarche and early-onset AN. Conclusions Our results provide evidence consistent with a common variant genetic basis for age at onset and implicate biological pathways regulating menarche and reproduction.Peer reviewe

Shared genetic risk between eating disorder- and substance-use-related phenotypes:Evidence from genome-wide association studies

First published: 16 February 202

Barriers and distances as determinants for the evolution of bird migration links: the arctic shorebird system

We analysed migratory connectivity between different winter quarters and breeding sectors in the circumpolar tundra region for arctic shorebirds, in relation to migratory distances and ecological barriers. Total distances and barriers were calculated and measured for all potential migratory orthodrome links between 10 selected winter regions and 12 breeding sectors. The migratory segment between the northernmost stopover site and the breeding area, associated with the entry to and exit from the tundra during spring and autumn migration, respectively, was also identified and measured for each potential link. The analysis indicated that the evolution of migratory links among arctic shorebirds is constrained not by distance as such but by distance across ecological barriers, possibly because of the complex adaptations required for barrier crossing and extensive detour migration (and in a few cases because barrier distances exceed the birds' theoretical flight range capacity). A particularly pronounced barrier effect of the Arctic Ocean, as apparent from a sharp decline in migratory connectivity between the opposite sides of the Arctic Ocean, may reflect a crucial importance of favourable entry and exit conditions for successfully occupying different sectors of the tundra breeding area by shorebirds from winter regions situated at widely different total distances in both the southern and northern hemispheres