For example, our LDSC based enrichment analysis shows that GWAS variants for both AUD and DPW are enriched in the genes expressed during early brain development. Drinking in later years might interact with this genetic predisposition making individuals more susceptible not only to AUD but also to other neuropsychiatric disorders32. Identification of SPI1 and MAPT as genes for AUD are good examples of pleiotropy and/ or causal links between the alcohol intake and susceptibility to AUD, other psychiatric disorders (e.g., depression), and even Alzheimer’s disease15,33 and other neurodegenerative diseases. We found that increased SPI1 expression in myeloid lineage cells was associated with a higher DPW and higher risk for AUD. Recently, Zhang and colleagues33 observed that protein expression levels of SPI1 in the cerebellum and spleen from subjects with Major depressive disorder and schizophrenia were significantly higher than in controls. In the past, we have demonstrated that functional variants related to SPI1 expression are associated with the risk of Alzheimer’s disease15. Similar to this study, higher levels of expression of SPI1 is associated with increased risk for Alzheimer’s disease.
