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June 11, 2026Nature Human BehaviourOpen Access

Genome-wide meta-analysis of quantitatively measured generalized anxiety symptoms in individuals of European ancestry

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Authors

MSMegan SkeltonBMBrittany L. MitchellEAElham Assary

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Overview

Randomized trial reveals genetic links to anxiety symptoms in individuals of European ancestry, suggesting new directions for understanding anxiety.

Key Points

  • The aim is to identify genetic variants associated with generalized anxiety symptoms in individuals of European ancestry.
  • Conducted a genome-wide association meta-analysis with 693,869 individuals from 14 cohorts.
  • Identified 80 independent genome-wide significant variants across 74 loci.
  • Analyzed genetic correlations with mental and physical health traits.
  • Discovered 39 new variants associated with anxiety, with SNP-based heritability estimated at 5.9%.
  • Polygenic scores explained between 1.2% to 2.9% of variance in anxiety symptom severity.
  • Significant genetic correlations found with traits like neuroticism (rg = 0.71–0.85) and irritable bowel syndrome (rg = 0.57).

Cite This Study

Skelton et al. (2026) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a2a50e080c8f91e7f39d549https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-026-02476-7
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