“Genome-Wide Analysis of Risk-Taking Behavior and Cross-Disorder Genetic Correlations in 116,255 Individuals from the UK Biobank Cohort”, 2017-08-16 (; similar):
Risk-taking behavior is a key component of several psychiatric disorders and could influence lifestyle choices such as smoking, alcohol use, and diet. Risk-taking behavior therefore fits within a Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) approach, whereby elucidation of the genetic determinants of this trait has the potential to improve our understanding across different psychiatric disorders.
Here we report a genome-wide association study in 116,255 UK Biobank participants who responded yes/no to the question “would you consider yourself a risk-taker?” Risk-takers (compared to controls) were more likely to be men, smokers, and have a history of mental illness. Genetic loci associated with risk-taking behavior were identified on chromosomes 3 (rs13084531) and 6 (rs9379971). The effects of both lead SNPs were comparable between men and women.
The chromosome 3 locus highlights CADM2, previously implicated in cognitive and executive functions, but the chromosome 6 locus is challenging to interpret due to the complexity of the HLA region. Risk-taking behavior shared genetic risk with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder, as well as with smoking and total obesity.
Despite being based on only a single question, this study furthers our understanding of the biology of risk-taking behavior, a trait which has a major impact on a range of common physical and mental health disorders.