Y chromosome and mitochondrial DNA haplogroups across behavioural traits in children from the general population

ObjectiveTo evaluate the association between Y chromosome and mitochondrial DNA haplogroups and a number of sexually-dimorphic behavioural and psychiatric traits.\n\nMethodsThe study sample included 4,211 males and 4,009 females with mitochondrial DNA haplogroups and 4,788 males with Y chromosome haplogroups who are part of the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC). Different subsets of these populations were assessed using the Developmental and Well-being Assessment (DAWBA), Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), SCDC (Social and Communication Disorder Checklist) and Psychotic Like Symptom Interview (PLIKSi) as measures of behavioural and psychiatric traits. Logistic regression was used to measure the association between haplogroups and the traits above.\n\nResultsWe found that the majority of behavioural traits in our cohort differed between males and females. However, Y chromosome and mitochondrial DNA major haplogroups were not associated with any of the variables. In addition, secondary analyses of Y chromosome and mitochondrial DNA subgroups also showed no association.\n\nConclusionY chromosome and mitochondrial DNA haplogroups are not associated with behavioural and psychiatric traits in a sample representative of the UK population.