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Fraemke D, Willems YE, Okbay A, Wagner G, Tucker-Drob EM, Harden KP, Hertwig R, Koellinger P, Raffington L. Differences in polygenic associations with educational attainment between West and East Germany before and after reunification. bioRxiv 2024:2024.03.21.585839. [PMID: 38585898 PMCID: PMC10996480 DOI: 10.1101/2024.03.21.585839] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/09/2024]
Abstract
Here we examine geographical and historical differences in polygenic associations with educational attainment in East and West Germany around reunification. We test this in n = 1902 25-85-year-olds from the German SOEP-G[ene] cohort. We leverage a DNA-based measure of genetic influence, a polygenic index calculated based on a previous genome-wide association study of educational attainment in individuals living in democratic countries. We find that polygenic associations with educational attainment were significantly stronger among East, but not West, Germans after but not before reunification. Negative control analyses of a polygenic index of height with educational attainment and height indicate that this gene-by-environemt interaction is specific to the educational domain. These findings suggest that the shift from an East German state-socialist to a free-market West German system increased the importance of genetic variants previously identified as important for education.
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Affiliation(s)
- D Fraemke
- Max Planck Research Group Biosocial - Biology, Social Disparities, and Development; Max Planck Institute for Human Development; Lentzeallee 94, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Y E Willems
- Max Planck Research Group Biosocial - Biology, Social Disparities, and Development; Max Planck Institute for Human Development; Lentzeallee 94, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - A Okbay
- School of Business and Economics, Economics Fellow, Tinbergen Institute, Amsterdam
- Amsterdam Neuroscience, Complex Trait Genetics, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam
- Department of Economics, School of Business and Economics, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam
| | - G Wagner
- Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin
| | - E M Tucker-Drob
- Department of Psychology, The University of Texas, Austin
- Population Research Center, The University of Texas, Austin
| | - K P Harden
- Department of Psychology, The University of Texas, Austin
- Population Research Center, The University of Texas, Austin
| | - R Hertwig
- Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin
| | - P Koellinger
- School of Business and Economics, Economics Fellow, Tinbergen Institute, Amsterdam
- Amsterdam Neuroscience, Complex Trait Genetics, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam
- Department of Economics, School of Business and Economics, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam
| | - L Raffington
- Max Planck Research Group Biosocial - Biology, Social Disparities, and Development; Max Planck Institute for Human Development; Lentzeallee 94, 14195 Berlin, Germany
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Willems YE, deSteiguer A, Tanksley PT, Vinnik L, Fraemke D, Okbay A, Richter D, Wagner GG, Hertwig R, Koellinger P, Tucker-Drob EM, Harden KP, Raffington L. Self-control is associated with health-relevant disparities in buccal DNA-methylation measures of biological aging in older adults. Clin Epigenetics 2024; 16:22. [PMID: 38331797 PMCID: PMC10854186 DOI: 10.1186/s13148-024-01637-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2023] [Accepted: 01/29/2024] [Indexed: 02/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Self-control is a personality dimension that is associated with better physical health and a longer lifespan. Here, we examined (1) whether self-control is associated with buccal and saliva DNA-methylation (DNAm) measures of biological aging quantified in children, adolescents, and adults, and (2) whether biological aging measured in buccal DNAm is associated with self-reported health. Following preregistered analyses, we computed two DNAm measures of advanced biological age (principal-component PhenoAge and GrimAge Acceleration) and a DNAm measure of pace of aging (DunedinPACE) in buccal samples from the German Socioeconomic Panel Study (SOEP-G[ene], n = 1058, age range 0-72, Mage = 42.65) and saliva samples from the Texas Twin Project (TTP, n = 1327, age range 8-20, Mage = 13.50). We found that lower self-control was associated with advanced biological age in older adults (PhenoAge Acceleration β = - .34, [- .51, - .17], p < .001; GrimAge Acceleration β = - .34, [- .49, - .19], p < .001), but not young adults, adolescents or children. These associations remained statistically robust even after correcting for possible confounders such as socioeconomic contexts, BMI, or genetic correlates of low self-control. Moreover, a faster pace of aging and advanced biological age measured in buccal DNAm were associated with self-reported disease (PhenoAge Acceleration: β = .13 [.06, .19], p < .001; GrimAge Acceleration: β = .19 [.12, .26], p < .001; DunedinPACE: β = .09 [.02, .17], p = .01). However, effect sizes were weaker than observations in blood, suggesting that customization of DNAm aging measures to buccal and saliva tissues may be necessary. Our findings are consistent with the hypothesis that self-control is associated with health via pathways that accelerate biological aging in older adults.
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Affiliation(s)
- Y E Willems
- Max Planck Research Group Biosocial - Biology, Social Disparities, and Development, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Lentzeallee 94, 14195, Berlin, Germany
| | - A deSteiguer
- Population Research Center, The University of Texas, Austin, USA
| | - P T Tanksley
- Population Research Center, The University of Texas, Austin, USA
| | - L Vinnik
- Max Planck Research Group Biosocial - Biology, Social Disparities, and Development, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Lentzeallee 94, 14195, Berlin, Germany
| | - D Fraemke
- Max Planck Research Group Biosocial - Biology, Social Disparities, and Development, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Lentzeallee 94, 14195, Berlin, Germany
| | - A Okbay
- School of Business and Economics, Economics Fellow, Tinbergen Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Amsterdam Neuroscience, Complex Trait Genetics, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Department of Economics, School of Business and Economics, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - D Richter
- SHARE Berlin Institute GmbH, Berlin, Germany
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - G G Wagner
- Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany
- German Socio Economic Panel Study (SOEP), Berlin, Germany
| | - R Hertwig
- Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany
| | - P Koellinger
- School of Business and Economics, Economics Fellow, Tinbergen Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Amsterdam Neuroscience, Complex Trait Genetics, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Department of Economics, School of Business and Economics, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - E M Tucker-Drob
- Population Research Center, The University of Texas, Austin, USA
| | - K P Harden
- Population Research Center, The University of Texas, Austin, USA
| | - Laurel Raffington
- Max Planck Research Group Biosocial - Biology, Social Disparities, and Development, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Lentzeallee 94, 14195, Berlin, Germany.
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Willems YE, deSteiguer A, Tanksley PT, Vinnik L, Främke D, Okbay A, Richter D, Wagner GG, Hertwig R, Koellinger P, Tucker-Drob EM, Harden KP, Raffington L. Self-control is associated with health-relevant disparities in buccal DNA-methylation measures of biological aging in older adults. medRxiv 2023:2023.08.30.23294816. [PMID: 37693450 PMCID: PMC10491374 DOI: 10.1101/2023.08.30.23294816] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/12/2023]
Abstract
Self-control is a personality dimension that is associated with better physical health and a longer lifespan. Here we examined (1) whether self-control is associated with buccal and saliva DNA-methylation (DNAm) measures of biological aging quantified in children, adolescents, and adults, and (2) whether biological aging measured in buccal DNAm is associated with self-reported health. Following preregistered analyses, we computed two DNAm measures of advanced biological age (PhenoAge and GrimAge Acceleration) and a DNAm measure of pace of aging (DunedinPACE) in buccal samples from the German Socioeconomic Panel Study (SOEP-G[ene], n = 1058, age range 0-72, Mage = 42.65) and saliva samples from the Texas Twin Project (TTP, n = 1327, age range 8-20, Mage = 13.50). We found that lower self-control was associated with advanced biological age in older adults (β =-.34), but not young adults, adolescents or children. This association was not accounted for by statistical correction for socioeconomic contexts, BMI, or genetic correlates of low self-control. Moreover, a faster pace of aging and advanced biological age measured in buccal DNAm were associated with worse self-reported health (β =.13 to β = .19). But, effect sizes were weaker than observations in blood, thus customization of DNAm aging measures to buccal and saliva tissues may be necessary. Our findings are consistent with the hypothesis that self-control is associated with health via pathways that accelerate biological aging in older adults.
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Affiliation(s)
- Y E Willems
- Max Planck Research Group Biosocial - Biology, Social Disparities, and Development, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin
| | - A deSteiguer
- Population Research Center, The University of Texas, Austin
| | - P T Tanksley
- Population Research Center, The University of Texas, Austin
| | - L Vinnik
- Max Planck Research Group Biosocial - Biology, Social Disparities, and Development, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin
| | - D Främke
- Max Planck Research Group Biosocial - Biology, Social Disparities, and Development, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin
| | - A Okbay
- School of Business and Economics, Economics Fellow, Tinbergen Institute, Amsterdam
- Amsterdam Neuroscience, Complex Trait Genetics, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam
- Department of Economics, School of Business and Economics, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam
| | - D Richter
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin
- SHARE Berlin, Berlin
| | - G G Wagner
- Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin
- German Socio Economic Panel Study (SOEP), Berlin
| | - R Hertwig
- Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin
| | - P Koellinger
- School of Business and Economics, Economics Fellow, Tinbergen Institute, Amsterdam
- Amsterdam Neuroscience, Complex Trait Genetics, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam
- Department of Economics, School of Business and Economics, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam
| | | | - K P Harden
- Population Research Center, The University of Texas, Austin
| | - L Raffington
- Max Planck Research Group Biosocial - Biology, Social Disparities, and Development, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin
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Bansal V, Mitjans M, Burik CAP, Linnér RK, Okbay A, Rietveld CA, Begemann M, Bonn S, Ripke S, de Vlaming R, Nivard MG, Ehrenreich H, Koellinger PD. Genome-wide association study results for educational attainment aid in identifying genetic heterogeneity of schizophrenia. Nat Commun 2018; 9:3078. [PMID: 30082721 PMCID: PMC6079028 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-05510-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2017] [Accepted: 07/09/2018] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Higher educational attainment (EA) is negatively associated with schizophrenia (SZ). However, recent studies found a positive genetic correlation between EA and SZ. We investigate possible causes of this counterintuitive finding using genome-wide association study results for EA and SZ (N = 443,581) and a replication cohort (1169 controls; 1067 cases) with deeply phenotyped SZ patients. We find strong genetic dependence between EA and SZ that cannot be explained by chance, linkage disequilibrium, or assortative mating. Instead, several genes seem to have pleiotropic effects on EA and SZ, but without a clear pattern of sign concordance. Using EA as a proxy phenotype, we isolate FOXO6 and SLITRK1 as novel candidate genes for SZ. Our results reveal that current SZ diagnoses aggregate over at least two disease subtypes: one part resembles high intelligence and bipolar disorder (BIP), while the other part is a cognitive disorder that is independent of BIP.
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Affiliation(s)
- V Bansal
- Clinical Neuroscience, Max Planck Institute of Experimental Medicine, Hermann-Rein-Straße 3, 37075, Göttingen, Germany
- Research Group for Computational Systems Biology, German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Von-Siebold-Straße 3A, 37075, Göttingen, Germany
- Institute of Medical Systems Biology, Center for Molecular Neurobiology, University Clinic Hamburg-Eppendorf, Falkenried 94, 20251, Hamburg, Germany
| | - M Mitjans
- Clinical Neuroscience, Max Planck Institute of Experimental Medicine, Hermann-Rein-Straße 3, 37075, Göttingen, Germany
- DFG Research Center for Nanoscale Microscopy and Molecular Physiology of the Brain (CNMPB), Humboldtallee 23, 30703, Göttingen, Germany
| | - C A P Burik
- Complex Trait Genetics, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1085 B-631, 1081 HV, Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Institute for Behavior and Biology, Erasmus University Rotterdam, P.O. Box 1738, 3000 DR, Rotterdam, Netherlands
- School of Business and Economics, Department of Economics, De Boelelaan 1105, 1081 HV, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - R K Linnér
- Complex Trait Genetics, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1085 B-631, 1081 HV, Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Institute for Behavior and Biology, Erasmus University Rotterdam, P.O. Box 1738, 3000 DR, Rotterdam, Netherlands
- School of Business and Economics, Department of Economics, De Boelelaan 1105, 1081 HV, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - A Okbay
- Complex Trait Genetics, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1085 B-631, 1081 HV, Amsterdam, Netherlands
- School of Business and Economics, Department of Economics, De Boelelaan 1105, 1081 HV, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - C A Rietveld
- Institute for Behavior and Biology, Erasmus University Rotterdam, P.O. Box 1738, 3000 DR, Rotterdam, Netherlands
- Erasmus School of Economics, Erasmus University Rotterdam, P.O. Box 1738, 3000 DR, Rotterdam, Netherlands
| | - M Begemann
- Clinical Neuroscience, Max Planck Institute of Experimental Medicine, Hermann-Rein-Straße 3, 37075, Göttingen, Germany
- Department of Psychiatry & Psychotherapy, University of Göttingen, Von-Siebold-Straße 5, 37075, Göttingen, Germany
| | - S Bonn
- Research Group for Computational Systems Biology, German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Von-Siebold-Straße 3A, 37075, Göttingen, Germany
- Institute of Medical Systems Biology, Center for Molecular Neurobiology, University Clinic Hamburg-Eppendorf, Falkenried 94, 20251, Hamburg, Germany
| | - S Ripke
- Analytic and Translational Genetics Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, 02114 MA, Boston, USA
- Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, 02142 MA, Cambridge, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Campus Mitte, Berlin, 10117, Germany
| | - R de Vlaming
- Complex Trait Genetics, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1085 B-631, 1081 HV, Amsterdam, Netherlands
- School of Business and Economics, Department of Economics, De Boelelaan 1105, 1081 HV, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - M G Nivard
- Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, van der Boechorststraat 1, 1081 BT, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - H Ehrenreich
- Clinical Neuroscience, Max Planck Institute of Experimental Medicine, Hermann-Rein-Straße 3, 37075, Göttingen, Germany
- DFG Research Center for Nanoscale Microscopy and Molecular Physiology of the Brain (CNMPB), Humboldtallee 23, 30703, Göttingen, Germany
| | - P D Koellinger
- Complex Trait Genetics, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1085 B-631, 1081 HV, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
- Institute for Behavior and Biology, Erasmus University Rotterdam, P.O. Box 1738, 3000 DR, Rotterdam, Netherlands.
- School of Business and Economics, Department of Economics, De Boelelaan 1105, 1081 HV, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
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