DRD2 and FOXP2 are implicated in the associations between computerized device use and psychiatric disorders

1. Abstract

The societal health effects of ubiquitous computerized device use (CDU) is mostly unknown. Epidemiological evidence supports associations between CDU and psychiatric traits, but the underlying biological mechanisms are unclear. We investigated genetic overlaps, causal relationships, and molecular pathways shared between these traits using genome-wide data regarding CDU (UK Biobank; up to N=361,194 individuals) and Psychiatric Genomics Consortium phenotypes (14,477<N<150,064). The strongest genetic correlations were between “weekly usage of mobile phone in last 3 months” (PhoneUse) vs. attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) (rg=0.425, p=4.59x10^-11) and “plays computer games” (CompGaming) vs. schizophrenia (SCZ) (rg=-0.271, p=7.16x10^-26). Latent causal variable analysis did not support causal relationships between these traits, but the observed genetic overlap was related to shared molecular pathways, including: dopamine transport (Gene Ontology:0015872, p_{SCZvsCompGaming}=2.74x10^-10) and DRD2 association (p_SCZ=7.94x10^-8; p_CompGaming=3.98x10^-25), and FOXP2 association (p_ADHD=9.32x10^-7; p_PhoneUse=9.00x10^-11). Our results support epidemiological observations with genetic data, and uncover biological mechanisms underlying psychiatric disorders contribution to CDUs.