Using Linkage Resources for Association Studies
Author Information
Author(s): Kristina Allen-Brady, James M Farnham, Jeff Weiler, Nicola J Camp
Primary Institution: University of Utah School of Medicine
Hypothesis
Can a method for association testing in pedigrees effectively analyze linkage disequilibrium and association with HDL?
Conclusion
A correction for dependence is necessary in association studies to avoid an inflation of significance probabilities.
Supporting Evidence
- The study found significant evidence of weak linkage disequilibrium between microsatellite markers in some replicates.
- Power was low for association analyses, ranging from 12.5% to 20.8%.
- Not accounting for relatedness inflated statistical significance.
Takeaway
When studying families, we need to be careful about how we analyze the data to avoid making mistakes. This study shows that using certain types of genetic markers isn't the best way to find associations.
Methodology
The study used an empirical method for association analysis in extended pedigrees, generating null genotype configurations and comparing observed statistics to an empirical null distribution.
Potential Biases
The study may have missed positive association findings by not testing all alleles.
Limitations
Not all alleles were analyzed, and the data were not simulated to specifically contain association.
Participant Demographics
330 families with members ranging from 7 to 84 individuals.
Statistical Information
P-Value
p < 0.0001
Statistical Significance
p < 0.0001
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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