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Genetic analysis revealed strong links between sex hormones and psychiatric disorders.
A study published in July 2025 issue of Endocrines explored the largely unknown shared genetic basis linking endocrine hormone levels and psychiatric disorders.
Researchers examined the genetic correlations among endocrine hormones, including thyroid and sex hormones, and their associations with psychiatric disorders to identify shared genetic architectures.
They used genome-wide association study summary statistics for 6 thyroid hormone metrics, 3 sex hormone metrics, and 10 psychiatric disorders from populations primarily of European ancestry. Variant data were harmonized to keep consistency across studies. Genetic correlations were then calculated using linkage disequilibrium score regression (LDSC).
The results showed significant genetic correlations among thyroid and sex hormone metrics, suggesting shared genetic foundations. Sex hormones displayed several correlations with psychiatric disorders, including negative genetic correlations between sex hormone-binding globulin and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) (P= 3.95 × 10-12) and major depressive disorder (P= 4.67 × 10-5), and positive correlations with anorexia nervosa (P= 2.86 × 10-12) and schizophrenia (P= 2.00 × 10-4). Testosterone and estradiol were negatively correlated with ADHD and major depressive disorder. Testosterone also showed positive genetic correlations with anorexia nervosa and schizophrenia. Thyroid hormone metrics did not yield Bonferroni-significant findings but showed nominal associations, including a negative genetic correlation between thyroid-stimulating hormone and major depressive disorder (P= 2.33 × 10-2).
Investigators concluded that sex hormones shared notable genetic links with psychiatric disorders, highlighting the need for further research in larger, more diverse populations.
Source: mdpi.com/2673-396X/6/3/32