Genetics of early-life head circumference and genetic correlations with neurological, psychiatric and cognitive outcomes
Suzanne Vogelezang, Jonathan P. Bradfield, Suzanne Vogelezang, Jonathan P. Bradfield, Stefan Johansson, Evie Stergiakouli, Elisabeth Thiering, Craig E. Pennell, Tarunveer S. Ahluwalia, Ville Karhunen, Markus Scholz, Xueping Liu, Carmen Íñiguez, Olli T. Raitakari, Jonas Bačelis, Theresia M. Schnurr, Timo A. Lakka, Ioanna Ntalla, Mads Vendelbo Lind, Lotte Lauritzen, Sauli Herrala, Frederick T. J. Lin, Christine Frithioff‐Bøjsøe, Robin N. Beaumont, Mohammed H. Zafarmand, Peter Rzehak, José Ramón Bilbao, Nella Junna, Judith M. Vonk, Sheryl L. Rifas‐Shiman, Vimala Devi Janjanam, Maria J. Knol, Shweta Ramdas, Lawrie Beilin, Klaus Bønnelykke, Maribel Casas, Johan G. Eriksson, Joaquín Escribano, Tavia E. Evans, Ulrike Gehring, Frank Geller, Veit Grote, Darek Gruszfeld, Håkon Håkonarson, Andrew T. Hattersley, Christian T. Have, M. Geoffrey Hayes, Joachim Heinrich, Øvind Helgeland, Jhon Holloway, Raimo Joro, Julius Juodakis, Bridget Knight, B. Koletzko, Antje Körner, Jean‐Paul Langhendries, Jaakko T. Leinonen, Virpi Lindi, Morten Asp Vonsild Lund, Stephen J. Lye, Mads Melbye, Kim F. Michaelsen, Camilla S. Morgen, Harri Niinikoski, Katja Pahkala, Kalliope Panoutsopoulou, Oluf Pedersen, Fernando Rivadeneira, Loreto Santa‐Marina, Barbera D. C. van Schaik, Denise Scholtens, Sylvain Sebért, Ibón Tamayo, Nicholas J. Timpson, Maties Torrent, André G. Uitterlinden, Marc Vaudel, Elvira Verduci, Rebecca Vinding, Mandy Vogel, Eleftheria Zeggini, Christopher D. Brown, Hieab H.H. Adams, Wilfried Karmaus, Marie‐France Hivert, Gerard H. Koppelman, Elisabeth Widén, Nora Fernández‐Jiménez, Mélanie Waldenberger, Tanja G. M. Vrijkotte, Rachel M. Freathy, Jens‐Christian Holm, William L. Lowe, Niels Grarup, Torben Hansen, George Dedoussis, Mustafa Atalay, Ellen A. Nøhr, Bo Jacobsson, Niina Pitkänen
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Head circumference is associated with intelligence and tracks from childhood into adulthood. METHODS: We performed a genome-wide association study meta-analysis and follow-up of head circumference in a total of 29,192 participants between 6 and 30 months of age. RESULTS: Seven loci reached genome-wide significance in the combined discovery and replication analysis of which three loci near ARFGEF2, MYCL1, and TOP1, were novel. We observed positive genetic correlations for early-life head circumference with adult intracranial volume, years of schooling, childhood and adult intelligence, but not with adult psychiatric, neurological, or personality-related phenotypes. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study indicate that the biological processes underlying early-life head circumference overlap largely with those of adult head circumference. The associations of early-life head circumference with cognitive outcomes across the life course are partly explained by genetics.