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Genome-wide analysis of social behaviour across social domains, reporters and developmental stages: a meta-regression approach
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Genome-wide analysis of social behaviour across social domains, reporters and developmental stages: a meta-regression approach

Lucía de Hoyos, Angelica Ronald, Fenja Schlag, Sanjeevan Jahagirdar, Elizabeth C Corfield, Andrea G Allegrini, Danielle Admiraal, Eveline L de Zeeuw, Ilja M Nolte, Natalia Llonga, …
Nature Human Behaviour
21/09/2026
PMID: 42768150

Abstract

Social behaviour is a heritable trait linked to well-being and mental health, yet it varies across social context, including social domains, informants and development, which may shape its underlying genomic architecture. Here, we conducted a genome-wide meta-regression meta-analysis of social behaviour from infancy to early adulthood, studying ~500,000 repeated measures in European-ancestry cohorts (N = 73,321). We modelled heterogeneity in single-variant associations across social domains (low prosocial behaviour and peer/social difficulties), multiple informants (parents, teachers and self-reports) and ages (2-29 years), identifying 6 associated loci, including variation within CADM2 (P = 2.51 × 10⁻⁹). Single nucleotide polymorphism-based heritability ranged from 2% to 7%, and the genetic architecture comprised 4 factors reflecting differences in either social domains or informants. Polygenic scores (N = 16,305) accurately predicted contextual variation in independent cohorts, with some cross-ancestry transferability. Context-specific patterns of genetic correlations, particularly when estimating the developmental onset of associations, offer opportunities to disentangle shared trajectories linking social behaviour with later-life and mental health outcomes.
url
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-026-02551-zView
Published (Version of record) Open CC BY V4.0

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