The paper develops a polygenic score for dizygotic twinning, showing it explains 1.6% of liability variance and is linked to fertility outcomes and genetic correlations with related conditions.

Journal of Assisted Reproduction and Genetics · May 26, 2025Peer-reviewedGenetic & Genomic Medicine

Intergenerational transmission of complex traits and the offspring methylome

Fiona A. Hagenbeek, René Pool, Austin J. Van Asselt, Erik A. Ehli, August Benjamin Smit, Meike Bartels, Jouke‐Jan Hottenga, Conor V. Dolan, Jenny van Dongen, Dorret Irene Boomsma

The paper investigates how parental polygenic scores for complex traits are associated with offspring DNA methylation, finding significant links for schizophrenia, educational attainment, BMI, and height.

Molecular Psychiatry · Apr 3, 2025Peer-reviewedGenetic & Genomic Medicine

Family-GWAS reveals effects of environment and mating on genetic associations

Tammy Tan, Hariharan Jayashankar, Junming Guan, Seyed Moeen Nehzati, Mahdi Mir, Michael Bennett, Esben Agerbo, Rafael Ahlskog, Ville Anapaz, Stefania Benónísdóttir, Dorret Irene Boomsma, Archie I Campbell, Christopher F. Chabris, Zhengming Chen, China Kadoorie Biobank Collaborative Group, , Alexander I. Young

Family-based GWAS meta-analysis of 34 phenotypes shows standard GWAS effects carry sizeable confounding uncorrelated with direct genetic effects, while assortative mating likely inflates SNP heritability and genetic correlations.

medRxiv · Oct 1, 2024 · PreprintGenetic & Genomic Medicine✦ In-depth digest

Linking the gut microbiome to host DNA methylation by a discovery and replication epigenome-wide association study

Ayşe Demirkan, Jenny van Dongen, Casey T. Finnicum, Harm-Jan Westra, Soesma A. Jankipersadsing, Gonneke A. H. M. Willemsen, Richard G. IJzerman, Dorret Irene Boomsma, Erik A. Ehli, Marc Jan Bonder, Jingyuan Fu, Lude Franke, Cisca Wijmenga, Eco J. C. de Geus, Alexander Kurilshikov, Alexandra Zhernakova

This study identifies two CpGs associated with the gut microbiome genus Eggerthella and shows microbiome mediates environmental effects on DNA methylation.

bioRxiv · Nov 3, 2023 · PreprintGenomics

Differing effects of alcohol use on epigenetic and brain age in adult children of alcoholic parents

Jamie L. Scholl, Kami Pearson, Kelene A. Fercho, Austin J. Van Asselt, Noah A. Kallsen, Erik A. Ehli, Kari N. Potter, Kathleen A. Brown-Rice, Gina L. Forster, Lee A. Baugh

The paper compares brain age, epigenetic age, and brain structure between adult children of alcoholic parents with and without hazardous alcohol use to healthy controls, finding lower brain age and higher epigenetic age in hazardous users.

bioRxiv · Sep 5, 2023 · PreprintNeuroscience

Integrative multi-omics analysis of genomic, epigenomic, and metabolomics data leads to new insights for Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

Nikki Hubers, Fiona A. Hagenbeek, René Pool, Sébastien Dejean, Amy C. Harms, Peter J. Roetman, Catharina E. M. van Beijsterveldt, Vassilios Fanos, Erik A. Ehli, Robert R. J. M. Vermeiren, Meike Bartels, Jouke‐Jan Hottenga, Thomas Hankemeier, Jenny van Dongen, Dorret Irene Boomsma

This study integrates genomics, epigenomics, and metabolomics data to identify ADHD biomarkers and explore omics-level connections, finding associations between PGSs, CpGs, and metabolites.

American Journal of Medical Genetics Part B Neuropsychiatric Genetics · Aug 3, 2023Peer-reviewedGenetic & Genomic Medicine

Genetic Association Study of Childhood Aggression across raters, instruments and age

Hill Fung Ip, Camiel M. van der Laan, Eva M. L. Krapohl, Isabell Brikell, Cristina Sánchez‐Mora, Ilja Maria Nolte, Beaté St Pourcain, Koen Bolhuis, Teemu Palviainen, Mohammad Hadi Zafarmand, Lucía Colodro‐Conde, Scott D. Gordon, Tetyana Zayats, Fazil Alıev, Chang Jiang, , Olli Tuomas Raitakari

This study conducts a genome-wide association meta-analysis of childhood aggression across multiple raters, instruments, and ages, identifying genetic correlations with various traits but no genome-wide significant SNPs.

Translational Psychiatry · Jul 30, 2021Peer-reviewedGenomics

A Draft Reference Genome for Hirudo verbana, the Medicinal Leech

Riley T. Paulsen, Diing D.M. Agany, Jason L. Petersen, Christel M. Davis, Erik A. Ehli, Etienne Z. Gnimpiéba, Brian D. Burrell

The paper presents the first draft genome assembly for Hirudo verbana, providing a foundation for future genomic studies and comparative analyses.

bioRxiv · Dec 8, 2020 · PreprintGenomics

Intergenerational transmission of education and ADHD: Effects of parental genotypes

Eveline L. de Zeeuw, Jouke‐Jan Hottenga, Klaasjan G. Ouwens, Conor V. Dolan, Erik A. Ehli, Gareth E. Davies, Dorret Irene Boomsma, Elsje van Bergen

The paper examines how parental genotypes influence offspring education and ADHD, finding genetic nurturing effects for education but not ADHD.

Behavior Genetics · Feb 6, 2020Peer-reviewedGenomics