Genome-wide association study of major anxiety disorders in 122,341 European-ancestry cases identifies 58 loci and highlights GABAergic signaling.

ABSTRACT: The major anxiety disorders (ANX; including generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, and phobias) are highly prevalent, often onset early, persist throughout life, and cause substantial global disability. Although distinct in their clinical presentations, they likely represent differential expressions of a dysregulated threat-response system. Here we present a genome-wide association meta-analysis comprising 122,341 European ancestry ANX cases and 729,881 controls. We identified 58 independent genome-wide significant ANX risk variants and 66 genes with robust biological support. In an independent sample of 1,175,012 self-report ANX cases and 1,956,379 controls, 51 of the 58 associated variants were replicated. As predicted by twin studies, we found substantial genetic correlation betw

SUBMITTER: Strom NI 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11245051 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature