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Cannabis use, depression and self-harm: phenotypic and genetic relationships

K Hodgson, View ORCID ProfileJRI Coleman, SP Hagenaars, View ORCID ProfileKL Purves, K Glanville, View ORCID ProfileSW Choi, P O’Reilly, G Breen, Major Depressive Disorder Working Group of the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium, CM Lewis
doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/549899
K Hodgson
1Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, UK
2NIHR Biomedical Research Centre, South London and Maudsley NHS Trust, London, UK
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JRI Coleman
1Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, UK
2NIHR Biomedical Research Centre, South London and Maudsley NHS Trust, London, UK
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SP Hagenaars
1Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, UK
2NIHR Biomedical Research Centre, South London and Maudsley NHS Trust, London, UK
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KL Purves
1Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, UK
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K Glanville
1Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, UK
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SW Choi
1Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, UK
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P O’Reilly
1Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, UK
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G Breen
1Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, UK
2NIHR Biomedical Research Centre, South London and Maudsley NHS Trust, London, UK
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3Consortium members listed in Supplementary Materials
CM Lewis
1Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, UK
2NIHR Biomedical Research Centre, South London and Maudsley NHS Trust, London, UK
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Abstract

Background and Aims The use of cannabis has previously been linked to both depression and self-harm, however the role of genetics in this relationship are unclear. We aimed to examine the phenotypic and genetic relationships between these traits.

Design Genetic and cross-sectional phenotypic data collected through UK Biobank, together with consortia genome-wide association study summary statistics. These data were used to assess the phenotypic and genetic relationship between cannabis use, depression and self harm.

Setting UK, with additional international consortia data

Participants N=126,291 British adults aged between 40 and 70 years, recruited into UK Biobank

Measurements Genome-wide genetic data, phenotypic data on lifetime history of cannabis use, depression and self-harm.

Findings In UK Biobank, cannabis use is associated with increased likelihood of depression (OR=1.64, 95% CI=1.59-1.70, p=1.19×10−213) and self-harm (OR=2.85, 95% CI=2.69-3.01, p=3.46×10−304). The strength of this phenotypic association is stronger when more severe trait definitions of cannabis use and depression are considered. Additionally, significant genetic correlations are seen between cannabis use and depression using consortia summary statistics (rg=0.289, SE=0.036, p=1.45×10−15). Polygenic risk scores for cannabis use and depression both explain a small but significant proportion of variance in cannabis use, depression and self harm within a UK Biobank target sample. However, two-sample Mendelian randomisation analyses were not significant.

Conclusions Cannabis use is both phenotypically and genetically associated with depression and self harm. Future work dissecting the causal mechanism linking these traits may have implications for cannabis users.

Footnotes

  • Declaration of competing interests: No competing interests to be declared.

Copyright 
The copyright holder for this preprint is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. All rights reserved. No reuse allowed without permission.
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Posted February 14, 2019.
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Cannabis use, depression and self-harm: phenotypic and genetic relationships
K Hodgson, JRI Coleman, SP Hagenaars, KL Purves, K Glanville, SW Choi, P O’Reilly, G Breen, Major Depressive Disorder Working Group of the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium, CM Lewis
bioRxiv 549899; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/549899
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Cannabis use, depression and self-harm: phenotypic and genetic relationships
K Hodgson, JRI Coleman, SP Hagenaars, KL Purves, K Glanville, SW Choi, P O’Reilly, G Breen, Major Depressive Disorder Working Group of the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium, CM Lewis
bioRxiv 549899; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/549899

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