Polygenic Risk of Mental Disorders and Subject-Specific School Grades

• Published in: Biological psychiatry (1969) Vol. 96; no. 3; pp. 222 - 229
• Main Authors: Jefsen, Oskar Hougaard, Holde, Katrine, McGrath, John J., Rajagopal, Veera Manikandan, Albiñana, Clara, Vilhjálmsson, Bjarni Jóhann, Grove, Jakob, Agerbo, Esben, Yilmaz, Zeynep, Plana-Ripoll, Oleguer, Munk-Olsen, Trine, Demontis, Ditte, Børglum, Anders, Mors, Ole, Bulik, Cynthia M., Mortensen, Preben Bo, Petersen, Liselotte Vogdrup
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01.08.2024
• Subjects: Academic Success; Adolescent; Adult; Anorexia Nervosa - genetics; Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity - epidemiology; Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity - genetics; Autism Spectrum Disorder - genetics; Bipolar Disorder - epidemiology; Bipolar Disorder - genetics; Depressive Disorder, Major - genetics; Educational attainment; Educational Status; Female; Genetic Predisposition to Disease; Humans; Language; Male; Mathematics; Mental disorders; Mental Disorders - epidemiology; Mental Disorders - genetics; Multifactorial Inheritance - genetics; Polygenic risk scores; Psychiatric/Mental Health; Schizophrenia - epidemiology; Schizophrenia - genetics; School performance; Schools; Young Adult; Polygenic risk scores; Mathematics; Language; Mental disorders; Educational attainment; School performance
• ISSN: 0006-3223; 1873-2402; 1873-2402
• DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2023.11.020

Education is essential for socioeconomic security and long-term mental health; however, mental disorders are often detrimental to the educational trajectory. Genetic correlations between mental disorders and educational attainment do not always align with corresponding phenotypic associations, implying heterogeneity in the genetic overlap. We unraveled this heterogeneity by investigating associations between polygenic risk scores for 6 mental disorders and fine-grained school outcomes: school grades in language and mathematics in ninth grade and high school, as well as educational attainment by age 25, using nationwide-representative data from established cohorts (N = 79,489). High polygenic liability of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder was associated with lower grades in language and mathematics, whereas high polygenic risk of anorexia nervosa or bipolar disorder was associated with higher grades in language and mathematics. Associations between polygenic risk and school grades were mixed for schizophrenia and major depressive disorder and neutral for autism spectrum disorder. Polygenic risk scores for mental disorders are differentially associated with language and mathematics school grades.