Genome-wide analyses of self-reported empathy: correlations with autism, schizophrenia, and anorexia nervosa.

ABSTRACT: Empathy is the ability to recognize and respond to the emotional states of other individuals. It is an important psychological process that facilitates navigating social interactions and maintaining relationships, which are important for well-being. Several psychological studies have identified difficulties in both self-report and performance-based measures of empathy in a range of psychiatric conditions. To date, no study has systematically investigated the genetic architecture of empathy using genome-wide association studies (GWAS). Here we report the results of the largest GWAS of empathy to date using a well-validated self-report measure of empathy, the Empathy Quotient (EQ), in 46,861 research participants from 23andMe, Inc. We identify 11 suggestive loci (P < 1 × 10^-6), th

SUBMITTER: Warrier V 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5845860 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature