Multivariate analysis reveals shared genetic architecture of brain morphology and human behavior.

ABSTRACT: Human variation in brain morphology and behavior are related and highly heritable. Yet, it is largely unknown to what extent specific features of brain morphology and behavior are genetically related. Here, we introduce a computationally efficient approach for multivariate genomic-relatedness-based restricted maximum likelihood (MGREML) to estimate the genetic correlation between a large number of phenotypes simultaneously. Using individual-level data (N = 20,190) from the UK Biobank, we provide estimates of the heritability of gray-matter volume in 74 regions of interest (ROIs) in the brain and we map genetic correlations between these ROIs and health-relevant behavioral outcomes, including intelligence. We find four genetically distinct clusters in the brain that are aligned with standar

SUBMITTER: de Vlaming R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8511103 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature