Julia Sealock

Ultra-rare coding variants in schizophrenia risk genes are associated with longitudinal phenotypic differences across psychotic disorders

This study identifies ultra-rare damaging variants in schizophrenia risk genes and shows they are associated with earlier hospitalizations, greater childhood adversity, and poorer neuropsychological outcomes across psychotic disorders.

Rare coding variation implicates thirteen genes in bipolar disorder across 232,536 individuals from global populations

A founder population reveals genetic variation with major effect on serious mental illness

The paper identifies a founder variant in ADAP1 associated with increased risk of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder in a Colombian genetic isolate.

Analysis of Rare Coding Variation Identifies New Genetic Contributors to Schizophrenia

Ultra-rare damaging coding variants in 87,959 schizophrenia cases and 150,587 controls implicate 40 genes (16 exome-wide, 24 at 5% FDR), half overlapping autism, developmental delay or bipolar genes.

Rare variation illuminates the distinct and pleiotropic genetic architecture of autism across neuropsychiatric traits

The paper identifies 253 autism-associated genes using rare variation from 62,429 individuals and finds pleiotropy across physiological systems and developmental disorders.

Genomic analyses reveal new insights into Alzheimer's disease

This study identifies 118 new genetic loci associated with Alzheimer's disease across diverse ancestries and discovers 48 novel risk loci, including those enriched in neuronal cell types.

Astrocytic-supplied cholesterol drives synaptic gene expression programs in developing neurons and downstream astrocytic transcriptional programs

The paper shows that astrocyte-supplied cholesterol drives synaptic gene expression in neurons and induces astrocytic transcriptional responses, linking lipid metabolism to neurodevelopmental disorders.

Genome-wide analyses identify 30 loci associated with obsessive-compulsive disorder

This study identifies 30 genome-wide significant loci for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) using a large GWAS, linking risk to specific brain cell types and shared genetic risk with other psychiatric and non-psychiatric traits.

A blended genome and exome sequencing method captures genetic variation in an unbiased, high-quality, and cost-effective manner

The paper introduces BGE, a sequencing method that combines low-pass whole genome and deep whole exome data, showing high accuracy and cost-effectiveness for genetic variant discovery.

Analysis of Genetically Determined Gene Expression Suggests Role of Inflammatory Processes in Exfoliation Syndrome

This study identifies gene expression changes linked to exfoliation syndrome using TWAS and finds enrichment for inflammatory genes, suggesting inflammation's role in the disease.

Genes associated with depression and coronary artery disease are enriched for inflammation and cardiomyopathy-associated pathways.

This study identifies genes associated with both depression and coronary artery disease that are enriched for inflammation and cardiomyopathy pathways, and finds higher prevalence of cardiomyopathy in individuals with comorbid depression-CAD.

Lab-wide association scan of polygenic scores identifies biomarkers of complex disease

The paper introduces methods to clean and analyze clinical lab data linked to EHRs, finding polygenic scores associated with lipid levels and coronary artery disease biomarkers.

Largest GWAS (N=1,126,563) of Alzheimer's Disease Implicates Microglia and Immune Cells

This study identifies seven novel genetic loci for Alzheimer's disease using a large GWAS and highlights microglia and immune pathways as key contributors to disease pathology.

Meta-analysis of problematic alcohol use in 435,563 individuals identifies 29 risk variants and yields insights into biology, pleiotropy and causality

This study identifies 29 risk variants for problematic alcohol use through a large meta-analysis and explores its genetic relationships with other traits.

Genetic risk for major depressive disorder and loneliness in gender-specific associations with coronary artery disease

This study identifies genetic risk factors for major depressive disorder and loneliness as predictors of coronary artery disease risk, particularly in women.

A/T/N polygenic risk score for cognitive decline in old age

The paper develops a polygenic risk score integrating AD biomarkers and shows it better predicts cognitive decline than a clinical AD-based PRS.

Elevated polygenic burden for ASD is associated with the broad autism phenotype

The paper investigates the association between polygenic scores for ASD and the broad autism phenotype (BAP) in parents and their children, finding domain- and sex-specific links.

Phenome-wide investigation of health outcomes associated with genetic predisposition to loneliness

This study identifies 12 genetic loci associated with loneliness and finds genetic correlations with 34 health outcomes, including cardiovascular and psychiatric disorders.

Genetic meta-analysis identifies 9 novel loci and functional pathways for Alzheimers disease risk

This study identifies 9 novel genetic loci and 215 potential causative genes associated with Alzheimer's disease risk through a large genome-wide association analysis.