Loading...
Although genetic factors contributing to anorexia nervosa have long been known, with heritabilities estimated at 50% to 60%, the precise nature of these factors have remained unclear. In an international, genome-wide association study of several investigations enrolling 16,992 patients of European ancestry with anorexia nervosa and 55,525 controls, researchers identified eight novel genome-wide significant loci associated with anorexia nervosa.
Independent of body-mass index (BMI), these loci were strongly correlated with psychiatric disorders (obsessive-compulsive disorder, major depression, schizophrenia, depressive symptoms, and anxiety), the personality trait of neuroticism, and high levels of educational attainment, physical activity, a…