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Published in: BMC Psychiatry 1/2024

Open Access 01-12-2024 | Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder | Research

Obstructive sleep apnea and mental disorders: a bidirectional mendelian randomization study

Authors: Heming Liu, Xuemei Wang, Hu Feng, Shengze Zhou, Jinhua Pan, Changping Ouyang, Xiaobin Hu

Published in: BMC Psychiatry | Issue 1/2024

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Abstract

Background

Previous studies have reported associations between obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and several mental disorders. However, further research is required to determine whether these associations are causal. Therefore, we evaluated the bidirectional causality between the genetic liability for OSA and nine mental disorders by using Mendelian randomization (MR).

Method

We performed two-sample bidirectional MR of genetic variants for OSA and nine mental disorders. Summary statistics on OSA and the nine mental disorders were extracted from the FinnGen study and the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium. The primary analytical approach for estimating causal effects was the inverse-variance weighted (IVW), with the weighted median and MR Egger as complementary methods. The MR Egger intercept test, Cochran’s Q test, Rucker’s Q test, and the MR pleiotropy residual sum and outlier (MR-PRESSO) test were used for sensitivity analyses.

Result

MR analyses showed that genetic liability for major depressive disorder (MDD) was associated with an increased risk of OSA (odds ratio [OR] per unit increase in the risk of MDD, 1.29; 95% CI, 1.11–1.49; P < 0.001). In addition, genetic liability for OSA may be associated with an increased risk of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) (OR = 1.26; 95% CI, 1.02–1.56; p = 0.032). There was no evidence that OSA is associated with other mental disorders.

Conclusion

Our study indicated that genetic liability for MDD is associated with an increased risk of OSA without a bidirectional relationship. Additionally, there was suggestive evidence that genetic liability for OSA may have a causal effect on ADHD. These findings have implications for prevention and intervention strategies targeting OSA and ADHD. Further research is needed to investigate the biological mechanisms underlying our findings and the relationship between OSA and other mental disorders.
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Metadata
Title
Obstructive sleep apnea and mental disorders: a bidirectional mendelian randomization study
Authors
Heming Liu
Xuemei Wang
Hu Feng
Shengze Zhou
Jinhua Pan
Changping Ouyang
Xiaobin Hu
Publication date
01-12-2024
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
BMC Psychiatry / Issue 1/2024
Electronic ISSN: 1471-244X
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-024-05754-8

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