Research Review: A Guide to Computing and Implementing Polygenic Scores in Developmental Research

Overview

Journal J Child Psychol Psychiatry

Specialties Psychiatry
Psychology

Date 2022 Mar 30

PMID 35354222

Authors

Andrea G Allegrini

Jessie R Baldwin

Wikus Barkhuizen

Jean-Baptiste Pingault

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

The increasing availability of genotype data in longitudinal population- and family-based samples provides opportunities for using polygenic scores (PGS) to study developmental questions in child and adolescent psychology and psychiatry. Here, we aim to provide a comprehensive overview of how PGS can be generated and implemented in developmental psycho(patho)logy, with a focus on longitudinal designs. As such, the paper is organized into three parts: First, we provide a formal definition of polygenic scores and related concepts, focusing on assumptions and limitations. Second, we give a general overview of the methods used to compute polygenic scores, ranging from the classic approach to more advanced methods. We include recommendations and reference resources available to researchers aiming to conduct PGS analyses. Finally, we focus on the practical applications of PGS in the analysis of longitudinal data. We describe how PGS have been used to research developmental outcomes, and how they can be applied to longitudinal data to address developmental questions.

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