Abstract

Cognitive functions of individuals with psychiatric disorders differ from that of the general population. Such cognitive differences often manifest early in life as differential school performance and have a strong genetic basis. Here we measured genetic predictors of school performance in 30,982 individuals in English, Danish and mathematics via a genome-wide association study (GWAS) and studied their relationship with risk for six major psychiatric disorders. When decomposing the school performance into math and language-specific performances, we observed phenotypically and genetically a strong negative correlation between math performance and risk for most psychiatric disorders. But language performance correlated positively with risk for certain disorders, especially schizophrenia, which we replicate in an independent sample (n = 4547). We also found that the genetic variants relating to increased risk for schizophrenia and better language performance are overrepresented in individuals involved in creative professions (n = 2953) compared to the general population (n = 164,622). The findings together suggest that language ability, creativity and psychopathology might stem from overlapping genetic roots.

Details

Title
Genome-wide association study of school grades identifies genetic overlap between language ability, psychopathology and creativity
Author
Rajagopal, Veera M. 1 ; Ganna, Andrea 2 ; Coleman, Jonathan R. I. 3 ; Allegrini, Andrea 4 ; Voloudakis, Georgios 5 ; Grove, Jakob 6 ; Als, Thomas D. 1 ; Horsdal, Henriette T. 7 ; Petersen, Liselotte 7 ; Appadurai, Vivek 8 ; Schork, Andrew 9 ; Buil, Alfonso 8 ; Bulik, Cynthia M. 10 ; Bybjerg-Grauholm, Jonas 11 ; Bækvad-Hansen, Marie 11 ; Hougaard, David M. 11 ; Mors, Ole 12 ; Nordentoft, Merete 13 ; Werge, Thomas 14 ; Belliveau, Rich 15 ; Carey, Caitlin E. 16 ; Cerrato, Felecia 15 ; Chambert, Kimberly 15 ; Churchhouse, Claire 17 ; Daly, Mark J. 18 ; Dumont, Ashley 15 ; Goldstein, Jacqueline 17 ; Hansen, Christine S. 19 ; Howrigan, Daniel P. 20 ; Huang, Hailiang 20 ; Maller, Julian 21 ; Martin, Alicia R. 17 ; Martin, Joanna 22 ; Mattheisen, Manuel 23 ; Moran, Jennifer 15 ; Neale, Benjamin M. 17 ; Pallesen, Jonatan 1 ; Palmer, Duncan S. 20 ; Pedersen, Carsten Bcker 24 ; Pedersen, Marianne Giørtz 24 ; Poterba, Timothy 17 ; Ripke, Stephan 25 ; Satterstrom, F. Kyle 17 ; Thompson, Wesley K. 26 ; Turley, Patrick 27 ; Walters, Raymond K. 20 ; Mortensen, Preben Bo 28 ; Breen, Gerome 3 ; Roussos, Panos 5 ; Plomin, Robert 4 ; Agerbo, Esben 29 ; Børglum, Anders D. 1 ; Demontis, Ditte 1 

 Aarhus University, Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus, Denmark (GRID:grid.7048.b) (ISNI:0000 0001 1956 2722); The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research (iPSYCH), Aarhus, Denmark (GRID:grid.452548.a) (ISNI:0000 0000 9817 5300); Center for Genome Analysis and Personalized Medicine, Aarhus, Denmark (GRID:grid.452548.a); Aarhus University, Centre for Integrative Sequencing, iSEQ, Aarhus, Denmark (GRID:grid.7048.b) (ISNI:0000 0001 1956 2722) 
 University of Helsinki, Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland, Helsinki, Finland (GRID:grid.7737.4) (ISNI:0000 0004 0410 2071); Harvard Medical School, Analytic and Translational Genetics Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, USA (GRID:grid.38142.3c) (ISNI:000000041936754X); Broad Institute, Cambridge, USA (GRID:grid.66859.34) (ISNI:0000 0004 0546 1623) 
 King’s College London, Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience, London, UK (GRID:grid.13097.3c) (ISNI:0000 0001 2322 6764); South London and Maudsley National Health Service Trust, National Institute of Health Research Maudsley Biomedical Research Centre, London, UK (GRID:grid.451056.3) (ISNI:0000 0001 2116 3923) 
 King’s College London, Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience, London, UK (GRID:grid.13097.3c) (ISNI:0000 0001 2322 6764) 
 Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Department of Psychiatry, Pamela Sklar Division of Psychiatric Genomics and Friedman Brain Institute, New York, USA (GRID:grid.59734.3c) (ISNI:0000 0001 0670 2351); Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences and Institute for Genomics and Multiscale Biology, New York, USA (GRID:grid.59734.3c) (ISNI:0000 0001 0670 2351); James J. Peters VA Medical Center, Bronx, USA (GRID:grid.274295.f) (ISNI:0000 0004 0420 1184) 
 Aarhus University, Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus, Denmark (GRID:grid.7048.b) (ISNI:0000 0001 1956 2722); The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research (iPSYCH), Aarhus, Denmark (GRID:grid.452548.a) (ISNI:0000 0000 9817 5300); Center for Genome Analysis and Personalized Medicine, Aarhus, Denmark (GRID:grid.452548.a); Aarhus University, Centre for Integrative Sequencing, iSEQ, Aarhus, Denmark (GRID:grid.7048.b) (ISNI:0000 0001 1956 2722); Aarhus University, Bioinformatics Research Centre, Aarhus, Denmark (GRID:grid.7048.b) (ISNI:0000 0001 1956 2722) 
 The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research (iPSYCH), Aarhus, Denmark (GRID:grid.452548.a) (ISNI:0000 0000 9817 5300); Aarhus University, The National Centre for Register-Based Research (NCRR), Aarhus, Denmark (GRID:grid.7048.b) (ISNI:0000 0001 1956 2722) 
 The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research (iPSYCH), Aarhus, Denmark (GRID:grid.452548.a) (ISNI:0000 0000 9817 5300); Mental Health Services of Copenhagen, Institute of Biological Psychiatry, Copenhagen, Denmark (GRID:grid.466916.a) (ISNI:0000 0004 0631 4836) 
 The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research (iPSYCH), Aarhus, Denmark (GRID:grid.452548.a) (ISNI:0000 0000 9817 5300); Mental Health Services of Copenhagen, Institute of Biological Psychiatry, Copenhagen, Denmark (GRID:grid.466916.a) (ISNI:0000 0004 0631 4836); The Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGEN), Neurogenomics Division, Phoenix, USA (GRID:grid.250942.8) (ISNI:0000 0004 0507 3225) 
10  University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Department of Psychiatry, Chapel Hill, USA (GRID:grid.10698.36) (ISNI:0000000122483208); Karolinska Institutet, Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Stockholm, Sweden (GRID:grid.4714.6) (ISNI:0000 0004 1937 0626); University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Department of Nutrition, Chapel Hill, USA (GRID:grid.10698.36) (ISNI:0000000122483208) 
11  The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research (iPSYCH), Aarhus, Denmark (GRID:grid.452548.a) (ISNI:0000 0000 9817 5300); Statens Serum Institut, Department for Congenital Disorders, Copenhagen, Denmark (GRID:grid.6203.7) (ISNI:0000 0004 0417 4147) 
12  The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research (iPSYCH), Aarhus, Denmark (GRID:grid.452548.a) (ISNI:0000 0000 9817 5300); Aarhus University Hospital-Psychiatry, Psychosis Research Unit, Aarhus, Denmark (GRID:grid.154185.c) (ISNI:0000 0004 0512 597X) 
13  The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research (iPSYCH), Aarhus, Denmark (GRID:grid.452548.a) (ISNI:0000 0000 9817 5300); Mental Health Services in The Capital Region of Denmark, Mental Health Center Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark (GRID:grid.466916.a) (ISNI:0000 0004 0631 4836); University of Copenhagen, Department Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health Science, Copenhagen, Denmark (GRID:grid.5254.6) (ISNI:0000 0001 0674 042X) 
14  The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research (iPSYCH), Aarhus, Denmark (GRID:grid.452548.a) (ISNI:0000 0000 9817 5300); Mental Health Services of Copenhagen, Institute of Biological Psychiatry, Copenhagen, Denmark (GRID:grid.466916.a) (ISNI:0000 0004 0631 4836); University of Copenhagen, Department Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health Science, Copenhagen, Denmark (GRID:grid.5254.6) (ISNI:0000 0001 0674 042X); University of Copenhagen, Center for GeoGenetics, GLOBE Institute, Copenhagen, Denmark (GRID:grid.5254.6) (ISNI:0000 0001 0674 042X) 
15  Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Cambridge, USA (GRID:grid.66859.34) (ISNI:0000 0004 0546 1623) 
16  Washington University in St. Louis, Department of Psychology, St. Louis, USA (GRID:grid.4367.6) (ISNI:0000 0001 2355 7002) 
17  Harvard Medical School, Analytic and Translational Genetics Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, USA (GRID:grid.38142.3c) (ISNI:000000041936754X); Broad Institute, Cambridge, USA (GRID:grid.66859.34) (ISNI:0000 0004 0546 1623); Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Cambridge, USA (GRID:grid.66859.34) (ISNI:0000 0004 0546 1623) 
18  University of Helsinki, Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland, Helsinki, Finland (GRID:grid.7737.4) (ISNI:0000 0004 0410 2071); Harvard Medical School, Analytic and Translational Genetics Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, USA (GRID:grid.38142.3c) (ISNI:000000041936754X); Broad Institute, Cambridge, USA (GRID:grid.66859.34) (ISNI:0000 0004 0546 1623); Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Cambridge, USA (GRID:grid.66859.34) (ISNI:0000 0004 0546 1623) 
19  The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research (iPSYCH), Aarhus, Denmark (GRID:grid.452548.a) (ISNI:0000 0000 9817 5300); Aarhus University, The National Centre for Register-Based Research (NCRR), Aarhus, Denmark (GRID:grid.7048.b) (ISNI:0000 0001 1956 2722); University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Department of Nutrition, Chapel Hill, USA (GRID:grid.10698.36) (ISNI:0000000122483208) 
20  Harvard Medical School, Analytic and Translational Genetics Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, USA (GRID:grid.38142.3c) (ISNI:000000041936754X); Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Cambridge, USA (GRID:grid.66859.34) (ISNI:0000 0004 0546 1623) 
21  Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Cambridge, USA (GRID:grid.66859.34) (ISNI:0000 0004 0546 1623); Genomics Plc, Oxford, UK (GRID:grid.510940.9); Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Abingdon, UK (GRID:grid.476839.7) 
22  University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Department of Psychiatry, Chapel Hill, USA (GRID:grid.10698.36) (ISNI:0000000122483208); Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Cambridge, USA (GRID:grid.66859.34) (ISNI:0000 0004 0546 1623); Cardiff, University, MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics, Cardiff, UK (GRID:grid.5600.3) (ISNI:0000 0001 0807 5670) 
23  Aarhus University, Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus, Denmark (GRID:grid.7048.b) (ISNI:0000 0001 1956 2722); The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research (iPSYCH), Aarhus, Denmark (GRID:grid.452548.a) (ISNI:0000 0000 9817 5300); Center for Genome Analysis and Personalized Medicine, Aarhus, Denmark (GRID:grid.452548.a); Aarhus University, Centre for Integrative Sequencing, iSEQ, Aarhus, Denmark (GRID:grid.7048.b) (ISNI:0000 0001 1956 2722); University of Würzburg, Department of Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, Würzburg, Germany (GRID:grid.8379.5) (ISNI:0000 0001 1958 8658); Karolinska Institutet, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Stockholm, Sweden (GRID:grid.4714.6) (ISNI:0000 0004 1937 0626) 
24  The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research (iPSYCH), Aarhus, Denmark (GRID:grid.452548.a) (ISNI:0000 0000 9817 5300); Aarhus University, Bioinformatics Research Centre, Aarhus, Denmark (GRID:grid.7048.b) (ISNI:0000 0001 1956 2722); University of Copenhagen, Center for GeoGenetics, GLOBE Institute, Copenhagen, Denmark (GRID:grid.5254.6) (ISNI:0000 0001 0674 042X) 
25  Harvard Medical School, Analytic and Translational Genetics Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, USA (GRID:grid.38142.3c) (ISNI:000000041936754X); Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Cambridge, USA (GRID:grid.66859.34) (ISNI:0000 0004 0546 1623); Charité-Universitätsmedizin, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Berlin, Germany (GRID:grid.6363.0) (ISNI:0000 0001 2218 4662) 
26  The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research (iPSYCH), Aarhus, Denmark (GRID:grid.452548.a) (ISNI:0000 0000 9817 5300); Aarhus University, The National Centre for Register-Based Research (NCRR), Aarhus, Denmark (GRID:grid.7048.b) (ISNI:0000 0001 1956 2722); University of Oslo, NORMENT-KG Jebsen Centre for Psychosis Research, Oslo, Norway (GRID:grid.5510.1) (ISNI:0000 0004 1936 8921); Oslo University Hospital, Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo, Norway (GRID:grid.55325.34) (ISNI:0000 0004 0389 8485) 
27  Harvard Medical School, Analytic and Translational Genetics Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, USA (GRID:grid.38142.3c) (ISNI:000000041936754X); Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Cambridge, USA (GRID:grid.66859.34) (ISNI:0000 0004 0546 1623); University of Southern, California, Behavioral and Health Genomics CenterCenter for Economic and Social Research, Los Angeles, USA (GRID:grid.42505.36) (ISNI:0000 0001 2156 6853) 
28  The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research (iPSYCH), Aarhus, Denmark (GRID:grid.452548.a) (ISNI:0000 0000 9817 5300); Aarhus University, Centre for Integrative Sequencing, iSEQ, Aarhus, Denmark (GRID:grid.7048.b) (ISNI:0000 0001 1956 2722); Aarhus University, The National Centre for Register-Based Research (NCRR), Aarhus, Denmark (GRID:grid.7048.b) (ISNI:0000 0001 1956 2722); Aarhus University, Centre for Integrated Register-Based Research (CIRRAU), Aarhus, Denmark (GRID:grid.7048.b) (ISNI:0000 0001 1956 2722) 
29  The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research (iPSYCH), Aarhus, Denmark (GRID:grid.452548.a) (ISNI:0000 0000 9817 5300); Center for Genome Analysis and Personalized Medicine, Aarhus, Denmark (GRID:grid.452548.a); Aarhus University, Centre for Integrated Register-Based Research (CIRRAU), Aarhus, Denmark (GRID:grid.7048.b) (ISNI:0000 0001 1956 2722) 
Pages
429
Publication year
2023
Publication date
2023
Publisher
Nature Publishing Group
e-ISSN
20452322
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
2762569505
Copyright
© The Author(s) 2023. This work is published under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (the “License”). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.