Is There Genetic Overlap in MS & Psychiatric Conditions?

Before I start, I want to take this opportunity to thank our community for the extremely positive feedback received on the last article that debuted our new format for research summaries.  Obviously, we have decided to once again use it in this instance.

Whilst this article had many different findings, we have chosen to focus primarily on those related to multiple sclerosis.  As always, you can comment with any feedback or questions that you have either here or on our Facebook page.

Research Summary: Analysis of shared heritability in common disorders of the brain

WHO?

The BRAINstorm Consortium

WHERE?

This is a large collaboration incorporating research centres from around the world.

WHAT?

A research project to determine whether genetic risk factors are shared amongst psychiatric and neurological disorders.

HOW?

The study was performed by analysing genetic data from 265,218 people across 25 different disorders, as well as 784,643 controls.

FACT #1:  Most brain disorders (except ones caused by infection, trauma or cancer) involve some genetic component.

FACT #2:   It has been found that many brain disorders occur together, such as bipolar disorder and migraine, as well as epilepsy and autism spectrum disorder.

FINDING #1:  There was a lot of overlap between the genetic variants within psychiatric illnesses.  For example, those that had been described for anxiety disorders were very similar to those for major depressive disorder.  Similarly, there was a correlation between those associated with schizophrenia and many other psychiatric disorders, including bipolar disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and major depressive disorder.

FINDING #2:  The genetic risk factors for multiple sclerosis were not found to be closely linked to those of any of the other neurological conditions analysed, with only a slight overlap found with migraine without aura (i.e the most common type of migraine that doesn’t have any symptoms before the headache itself begins).

FINDING #3:  Similarly, there was very little overlap between multiple sclerosis and psychiatric conditions.

FINAL THOUGHT:  Whilst we know that people living with multiple sclerosis are at a greater risk of developing mental health illnesses, this study suggests that it isn’t because of an overlap in genetic susceptibility.  Any studies that help improve our understanding of mental health in people living with multiple sclerosis are crucial, as this is an area that requires greater attention and increased awareness.

The full abstract for this study can be read here.