Neuroimaging PheWAS and molecular phenotyping implicate PSMC3 in Alzheimer's disease.

INTRODUCTION

Neuroimaging genetics has advanced our understanding of Alzheimer's disease (AD); however, frameworks using functional genomics are needed to elucidate mechanisms connecting loci to neurological outcomes. To address this need, we explored relationships between AD-associated variants and disease via their impact on gene expression and neuroanatomical phenotypes.

METHODS

We mapped established AD genes to neuroimaging traits using the NeuroimaGene Atlas and predicted transcript-driven neurological features of AD by comparing gene-derived neuroimaging features with clinical neuroimaging data. Genetic covariance analyses were performed to characterize shared genetic architecture between AD endophenotypes and neuroimaging features, and to identify neuroimaging features associated with a family history of dementia.

RESULTS

Our analyses implicate PSMC3 as a contributor to AD pathophysiology and identify AD endophenotypes, including dementia family history, linked to frontal cortex thickness and volume, as well as changes in cerebrospinal fluid volume.

DISCUSSION: Our findings prioritize AD genes whose regulation is associated with vulnerable brain regions, offering a potential mechanistic framework for downstream functional validation.