Assessing the presence of shared genetic architecture between Alzheimer's disease and major depressive disorder using genome-wide association data.

ABSTRACT: Major depressive disorder (MDD) and Alzheimer's disease (AD) are both common in older age and frequently co-occur. Numerous phenotypic studies based on clinical diagnoses suggest that a history of depression increases risk of subsequent AD, although the basis of this relationship is uncertain. Both illnesses are polygenic, and shared genetic risk factors could explain some of the observed association. We used genotype data to test whether MDD and AD have an overlapping polygenic architecture in two large population-based cohorts, Generation Scotland's Scottish Family Health Study (GS:SFHS; N=19 889) and UK Biobank (N=25 118), and whether age of depression onset influences any relationship. Using two complementary techniques, we found no evidence that the disorders are influenced by common

SUBMITTER: Gibson J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5416691 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature