Susceptibility Scoring in Family-Based Association Testing
Author Information
Author(s): Laila M Poisson, Benjamin A Rybicki, Steven W Coon, Jill S Barnholtz-Sloan, Gary A Chase
Primary Institution: Henry Ford Health Sciences Center
Hypothesis
Does a susceptibility residual method of adjustment for environmental covariates affect the power of genetic association tests?
Conclusion
A susceptibility residual method of adjustment for environmental covariates reduces the power of the association test when genetic and environmental effects are independent.
Supporting Evidence
- The adjusted method showed mixed results compared to the unadjusted method in detecting genetic associations.
- Environmental adjustments can reduce the power to detect genetic associations.
- The study used both simulated data and real-world data from the Framingham Heart Study.
Takeaway
This study looked at how adjusting for environmental factors can make it harder to find genetic links to diseases. Sometimes, trying to account for these factors can actually hide the genetic signals.
Methodology
The study used simulations and applied the FBAT procedure to real data from the Framingham Heart Study to compare adjusted and unadjusted tests.
Potential Biases
The study acknowledges potential biases in the results due to the nature of the covariate adjustments.
Limitations
The results from the Framingham data were mixed and not conclusive regarding the effectiveness of the adjustment method.
Participant Demographics
Participants were from the Framingham Heart Study, specifically offspring from Cohort 2.
Statistical Information
P-Value
p<0.05
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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