In European-descent samples, a locus distinct from rs16969968, tagged by rs578776, has been consistently associated with nicotine dependence [10, 14]. In the full sample, rs578776 is significantly associated (p = 7.09×10−5, OR = 0.79 (0.70–0.88)) and is the most strongly associated of the correlated SNPs representing this “protective” locus. However, this association is driven by the EA sample (p =3.21×10−6, OR = 0.72 (0.62–0.82)); in the AA sample, rs578776 is not associated (p = 0.96, OR = 1.01 (0.80–1.26)). This contrasts with the agreement between EA and AA association results for rs16969968.
