Alexandra Havdahl

Associate Professor - PROMENTA

Email alexandra.havdahl@psykologi.uio.no

Available hours By agreement

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Visiting address Forskningsveien 3A Harald Schjelderups hus 0373 Oslo

Postal address Postboks 1094 Blindern 0317 Oslo

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Academic interests

I am an Associate Professor at the University of Oslo Department of Psychology and member of the PROMENTA research centre. I lead the Psychiatric Genetic Epidemiology (PaGE) group at Nic Waals Institute of Lovisenberg Diaconal Hospital and the psychiatric genetics (PsychGen) group at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health in Oslo. At the MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit at the University of Bristol I am an Honorary Research Fellow.

My research group has three primary aims:

Elucidating when and how genetic risk for mental disorder manifests in signs and symptoms from birth to adulthood
Distinguishing genetic and environmental pathways of within-family transmission of mental disorders
Identifying causal environmental risk and protective factors for mental disorders

We utilize prospective and longitudinal pregnancy cohorts such as the Norwegian Mother, Father and Child Cohort Study (MoBa) and the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC). Our approaches include structural equation modelling, polygenic scoring, Mendelian randomization, negative control comparison, and diverse family designs.

I am involved in several international research collaborations, including the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium (PGC), the Childhood and Adolescence Psychopathology: unravelling the complex etiology by a large Interdisciplinary Collaboration in Europe (CAPICE), and the EArly Genetics and Lifecourse Epidemiology (EAGLE) Consortium.

Another line of research that I am strongly engaged in aims to improve early identification, assessment tools, and interventions for individuals with autism and other neurodevelopmental conditions. I am a member of the Lancet Commission on the Future of Care and Clinical Research in Autism and a lead trainer in the national network for clinician training in the use of autism diagnostic assessment tools.

Background

Education

2016: PhD. Department of Psychology, University of Oslo
2011: Cand. Psychol. (6-year clinical psychologist degree), University of Oslo, accredited psychologist 2011

Employment history

2019 -current: Associate Professor (20%), Dept of Psychology, UO
2018 -current: Research group leader (80%), head of the Psychiatric Genetic Epidemiology group, Nic Waals Institute, Lovisenberg Diaconal Hospital
2018 -current: Researcher and co-PI of the psychiatric genetics (PsychGen) group (20%), Dept. of Mental Disorders, Norwegian Institute of Public Health (NIPH)
2016-2018: Senior Research Associate (100%, permanent), MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit, University of Bristol, UK
2013-2016: PhD Fellow, Nic Waals Institute, Lovisenberg, Norway
2013-2015: Visiting PhD Researcher (100%), Center for Autism and the Developing Brain, Weill Medical College, Cornell University, New York, USA
2011-2012: Clinical Psychologist (100%) in the Autism Birth Cohort Study (ABC) nested in the Norwegian Mother, Father and Child Cohort, Nic Waals Institute, Lovisenberg
2007-2011: Research Assistant (20%), ABC Study, Nic Waals Institute, Lovisenberg

Awards

2020: Career grant from the South-Eastern Norway Regional Health Authority
2019: Best paper of 2019 award from Lovisenberg Diaconal Hospital
2018: Exchange fellowship for 1-year research stay at the University of Bristol. The South-Eastern Norway Regional Health Authority
2016: Award for best clinical PhD dissertation from the International Society for Autism Research
2012: Exchange fellowship for 1-year research stay at Cornell University. The South-Eastern Norway Regional Health Authority
2012: PhD fellowship. The South-Eastern Norway Regional Health Authority

Organization of International Conferences

2018: Established and organized the Norwegian and British population cohorts meeting 2018 (35 speakers) at the University of Bristol, UK

Tags: Developmental psychology, genetics, Psychopathology

van Houtum, Lisanne A. E. M.; Baaré, William F. C.; Beckmann, Christian F.; Castro-Fornieles, Josefina; Cecil, Charlotte A. M. & Dittrich, Juliane [Show all 28 contributors for this article] (2024). Running in the FAMILY: understanding and predicting the intergenerational transmission of mental illness. European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. ISSN 1018-8827. doi: 10.1007/s00787-024-02423-9.
Hegemann, Laura; Corfield, Elizabeth Claire; Askelund, Adrian Dahl; Allegrini, Andrea G.; Askeland, Ragna Bugge & Ronald, Angelica [Show all 11 contributors for this article] (2024). Genetic and phenotypic heterogeneity in early neurodevelopmental traits in the Norwegian Mother, Father and Child Cohort Study. Molecular Autism. ISSN 2040-2392. doi: 10.1186/s13229-024-00599-0.
Askelund, Adrian Dahl; Wootton, Robyn E; Torvik, Fartein Ask; Lawn, Rebecca B.; Ask, Helga & Corfield, Elizabeth Claire [Show all 15 contributors for this article] (2024). Assessing causal links between age at menarche and adolescent mental health: a Mendelian randomisation study. BMC Medicine. ISSN 1741-7015. 22(1). doi: 10.1186/s12916-024-03361-8.
Hernandez, Marta H.; Cohen, Jacqueline Mallory; Skåra, Karoline Hansen; Grindstad, Thea Karoline Walstad; Lee, Yunsung & Magnus, Per [Show all 14 contributors for this article] (2024). Placental efflux transporters and antiseizure or antidepressant medication use impact birth weight in MoBa cohort. iScience. ISSN 2589-0042. 27(3). doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.109285.
Hernaez Camba, Alvaro; Skåra, Karoline Hansen; Page, Christian Magnus; Mitter, Vera R.; Hernández, Marta H. & Magnus, Per Minor [Show all 16 contributors for this article] (2024). Parental genetically predicted liability for coronary heart disease and risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes: a cohort study. BMC Medicine. ISSN 1741-7015. 22(1), p. 1–11. doi: 10.1186/s12916-023-03223-9.
Verhoef, Ellen; Allegrini, Andrea G.; Jansen, Philip R.; Lange, Katherine; Wang, Carol A. & Morgan, Angela T. [Show all 64 contributors for this article] (2024). Genome-Wide Analyses of Vocabulary Size in Infancy and Toddlerhood: Associations With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Literacy, and Cognition-Related Traits. Biological Psychiatry. ISSN 0006-3223. 95(9), p. 859–869. doi: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2023.11.025. Full text in Research Archive
Bjørndal, Ludvig Daae; Eilertsen, Espen Moen; Ayorech, Ziada; Cheesman, Rosa; Ahmadzadeh, Yasmin I. & Baldwin, Jessie R. [Show all 13 contributors for this article] (2024). Disentangling direct and indirect genetic effects from partners and offspring on maternal depression using trio-GCTA. Nature Mental Health. p. 1–12. doi: 10.1038/s44220-024-00207-3.
Frach, Leonard; Barkhuizen, Wikus; Allegrini, Andrea G.; Ask, Helga; Hannigan, Laurie & Corfield, Elizabeth Claire [Show all 11 contributors for this article] (2024). Examining intergenerational risk factors for conduct problems using polygenic scores in the Norwegian Mother, Father and Child Cohort Study. Molecular Psychiatry. ISSN 1359-4184. doi: 10.1038/s41380-023-02383-7.
Ayorech, Ziada; Torvik, Fartein Ask; Cheesman, Rosa; Eilertsen, Espen M.; Valstad, Mathias & Bjørndal, Ludvig Daae [Show all 9 contributors for this article] (2024). The structure of psychiatric comorbidity without selection and assortative mating. Translational Psychiatry. ISSN 2158-3188. 14(1), p. 1–9. doi: 10.1038/s41398-024-02768-4.
Solberg, Berit Skretting; Kvalvik, Liv Grimstvedt; Instanes, Johanne Telnes; Hartman, Catharina A.; Klungsøyr, Kari & Li, Lin [Show all 20 contributors for this article] (2023). Maternal Fiber Intake During Pregnancy and Development of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Symptoms Across Childhood: The Norwegian Mother, Father, and Child Cohort Study. Biological Psychiatry. ISSN 0006-3223. 95(9), p. 839–848. doi: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2023.12.017. Full text in Research Archive
Hegemann, Laura; Askeland, Ragna Bugge; Valand, Stian Barbo; Øyen, Anne-Siri; Schjølberg, Synnve & Bal, Vanessa H [Show all 11 contributors for this article] (2023). Measuring autism-associated traits in the general population: Factor structure and measurement invariance across sex and diagnosis status of the Social Communication Questionnaire. Autism. ISSN 1362-3613. doi: 10.1177/13623613231219306. Full text in Research Archive
Bakken, Nora R.; Parker, Nadine; Hannigan, Laurie J.; Hagen, Espen; Parekh, Pravesh & Shadrin, Alexey [Show all 15 contributors for this article] (2023). Childhood trajectories of emotional and behavioral difficulties are related to polygenic liability for mood and anxiety disorders. medRxiv. doi: 10.1101/2023.11.21.23298804.
Hernaez Camba, Alvaro; Lee, Yunsung; Page, Christian Magnus; Skåra, Karoline Hansen; Håberg, Siri Eldevik & Magnus, Per Minor [Show all 14 contributors for this article] (2023). Impaired glucose tolerance and cardiovascular risk factors in relation to infertility: A Mendelian randomization analysis in the Norwegian Mother, Father, and Child Cohort Study. Human Reproduction. ISSN 0268-1161. 39(2), p. 436–441. doi: 10.1093/humrep/dead234. Full text in Research Archive
Howe, Laurence J; Rasheed, Humaira; Jones, Paul Remy; Boomsma, Dorret I; Evans, David M & Giannelis, Alexandros [Show all 46 contributors for this article] (2023). Educational attainment, health outcomes and mortality: a within-sibship Mendelian randomization study. International Journal of Epidemiology. ISSN 0300-5771. 52(5), p. 1579–1591. doi: 10.1093/ije/dyad079. Full text in Research Archive
Kleppestø, Thomas Haarklau; Eilertsen, Espen Moen; van Bergen, Elsje; Sunde, Hans Fredrik; Zietsch, Brendan & Nordmo, Magnus [Show all 10 contributors for this article] (2023). Intergenerational transmission of ADHD behaviors: Genetic and environmental pathways. Psychological Medicine. ISSN 0033-2917. doi: 10.1017/S003329172300315X.
D'Urso, Shannon; Moen, Gunn-Helen Øiseth; Hwang, Liang-Dar; Hannigan, Laurie John; Corfield, Elizabeth Claire & Ask, Helga [Show all 12 contributors for this article] (2023). Intrauterine Growth and Offspring Neurodevelopmental Traits A Mendelian Randomization Analysis of the Norwegian Mother, Father and Child Cohort Study (MoBa). JAMA psychiatry. ISSN 2168-6238. 81(2), p. 144–156. doi: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2023.3872. Full text in Research Archive
Guintivano, Jerry; Byrne, Enda M.; Kiewa, Jacqueline; Yao, Shuyang; Bauer, Anna E. & Aberg, Karolina A. [Show all 78 contributors for this article] (2023). Meta-Analyses of Genome-Wide Association Studies for Postpartum Depression. American Journal of Psychiatry. ISSN 0002-953X. 180(12), p. 884–895. doi: 10.1176/appi.ajp.20230053.
Hannigan, Laurie; Lund, Ingunn Olea; Askelund, Jo Adrian Dahl; Ystrøm, Eivind; Corfield, Elizabeth Claire & Ask, Helga [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2023). Genotype-environment interplay in associations between maternal drinking and offspring emotional and behavioral problems. Psychological Medicine. ISSN 0033-2917. 54(1), p. 203–214. doi: 10.1017/S0033291723003057. Full text in Research Archive
Ferschmann, Lia; Overweg, Ingrid; Dégeilh, Fanny; Bekkhus, Mona; Havdahl, Alexandra & von Soest, Tilmann Martin [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2023). Development of prosocial behavior and inhibitory control in late childhood: A longitudinal exploration of sex differences and reciprocal relations. Child Development. ISSN 0009-3920. 95(1), p. 313–323. doi: 10.1111/cdev.13978. Full text in Research Archive
Askelund, Adrian Dahl; Ask, Helga; Ystrøm, Eivind; Havdahl, Alexandra & Hannigan, Laurie John (2023). Exploring the differentiation of behavioural and emotional problems across childhood: A prospective longitudinal cohort study. JCPP Advances. ISSN 2692-9384. 3(4), p. 1–11. doi: 10.1002/jcv2.12176.
Askeland, Ragna Bugge; Hannigan, Laurie John; O'Connell, Kevin Sean; Corfield, Elizabeth Claire; Frei, Oleksandr & Thapar, Anita [Show all 11 contributors for this article] (2023). Developmental manifestations of polygenic risk for bipolar disorder from infancy to middle childhood. Translational Psychiatry. ISSN 2158-3188. 13. doi: 10.1038/s41398-023-02522-2. Full text in Research Archive
Oddsson, Asmundur; Sulem, Patrick; Sveinbjornsson, Gardar; Arnadottir, Gudny A.; Steinthorsdottir, Valgerdur & Halldorsson, Gisli H. [Show all 54 contributors for this article] (2023). Deficit of homozygosity among 1.52 million individuals and genetic causes of recessive lethality. Nature Communications. ISSN 2041-1723. 14. doi: 10.1038/s41467-023-38951-2. Full text in Research Archive
Birkenæs, Viktoria; Bakken, Nora Refsum; Frei, Evgeniia; Jaholkowski, Piotr Pawel; Smeland, Olav Bjerkehagen & Woldeyohannes, Markos Tesfaye [Show all 15 contributors for this article] (2023). Psychometric Properties and Diagnostic Associations of the Short-Form Community Assessment of Psychic Experiences in a Population-Based Sample of 29 021 Adult Men. Schizophrenia Bulletin. ISSN 0586-7614. 49(5), p. 1229–1238. doi: 10.1093/schbul/sbad074. Full text in Research Archive
Demontis, Ditte; Walters, G. Bragi; Athanasiadis, Georgios; Walters, Raymond; Therrien, Karen & Nielsen, Trine Tollerup [Show all 88 contributors for this article] (2023). Genome-wide analyses of ADHD identify 27 risk loci, refine the genetic architecture and implicate several cognitive domains. Nature Genetics. ISSN 1061-4036. 55, p. 198–208. doi: 10.1038/s41588-022-01285-8.
Jami, Eshim S.; Hammerschlag, Anke R.; Sallis, Hannah M.; Qiao, Zhen; Andreassen, Ole & Magnus, Per Minor [Show all 14 contributors for this article] (2023). Do environmental effects indexed by parental genetic variation influence common psychiatric symptoms in childhood? Translational Psychiatry. ISSN 2158-3188. 13. doi: 10.1038/s41398-023-02348-y. Full text in Research Archive
Wootton, Robyn E; Lawn, Rebecca B.; Magnus, Maria C.; Treur, Jorien L.; Corfield, Elizabeth C. & Njølstad, Pål Rasmus [Show all 14 contributors for this article] (2023). Associations between health behaviours, fertility and reproductive outcomes: triangulation of evidence in the Norwegian Mother, Father and Child Cohort Study (MoBa). BMC Medicine. ISSN 1741-7015. 21. doi: 10.1186/s12916-023-02831-9. Full text in Research Archive
Ayorech, Ziada; Cheesman, Rosa; Eilertsen, Espen M.; Bjørndal, Ludvig Daae; Røysamb, Espen & McAdams, Tom A. [Show all 8 contributors for this article] (2023). Maternal depression and the polygenic p factor: A family perspective on direct and indirect effects. Journal of Affective Disorders. ISSN 0165-0327. 332, p. 159–167. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2023.03.043. Full text in Research Archive
Diemer, Elizabeth W.; Havdahl, Alexandra; Andreassen, Ole; Munafò, Marcus R.; Njølstad, Pål Rasmus & Tiemeier, Henning [Show all 8 contributors for this article] (2023). Bounding the average causal effect in Mendelian randomisation studies with multiple proposed instruments: An application to prenatal alcohol exposure and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology. ISSN 0269-5022. 37(4), p. 326–337. doi: 10.1111/ppe.12951. Full text in Research Archive
Havdahl, Alexandra; Farmer, Cristan; Suren, Pål; Øyen, Anne-Siri; Magnus, Per Minor & Susser, Ezra [Show all 11 contributors for this article] (2023). Attainment and loss of early social-communication skills across neurodevelopmental conditions in the Norwegian Mother, Father and Child Cohort Study. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry. ISSN 0021-9630. doi: 10.1111/jcpp.13792. Full text in Research Archive
Riglin, Lucy; Havdahl, Alexandra; Tobarra‐Sanchez, E; Stergiakouli, Evie; Tilling, Kate & O’Donovan, Michael [Show all 9 contributors for this article] (2022). Early manifestations of genetic liability for ADHD, autism and schizophrenia at ages 18 and 24 months. JCPP Advances. ISSN 2692-9384. Show summary
Background ADHD and autism are neurodevelopmental conditions, for which non-specific precursors or early signs include difficulties with language and motor skills, and differences in temperament in the first and second year of life. These early features have also been linked to later diagnosis of schizophrenia which is widely considered to have neurodevelopmental origins. Given that ADHD, autism and schizophrenia are all highly heritable, we tested the hypothesis that in the general population, measures of toddler language development, motor development and temperament are associated with genetic liability to ADHD, autism and/or schizophrenia. Methods Data were analysed from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) which included motor development scores at age 18 months and language development and temperament scores at age 24 months (N = 7498). Genetic liability was indexed by polygenic risk scores (PGS) for ADHD, autism and schizophrenia. Results ADHD PGS were associated with specific temperament scales (higher activity β = 0.07, 95% CI = 0.04, 0.09 and lower withdrawal β = −0.05, 95% CI = −0.07, −0.02) as well as better gross motor scores (β = 0.04, 95% CI = 0.01, 0.06). Schizophrenia PGS were associated with one specific temperament scale (negative mood β = 0.04, 95% CI = 0.02, 0.07). We did not find strong evidence of association of autism PGS with any of the toddler measures; there was also not strong evidence of association with motor or language delays for any of the PGS. Conclusions This study suggests that some specific aspects of early temperament and gross motor differences in the general population could represent part of the early manifestation of genetic liability to neurodevelopmental conditions.
Ayorech, Ziada; Gillespie Cheesman, Rosa Catherine; Eilertsen, Espen Moen; Bjørndal, Ludvig Daae; Røysamb, Espen & McAdams, Tom [Show all 8 contributors for this article] (2022). Maternal depression and the polygenic p factor: A family perspective on direct and indirect effects. PsyArXiv. doi: 10.31234/osf.io/6nwrx.
Hughes, Amanda M.; Sanderson, Eleanor; Morris, Tim; Ayorech, Ziada; Tesli, Martin Steen & Ask, Helga [Show all 16 contributors for this article] (2022). Body mass index and childhood symptoms of depression, anxiety, and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder: A within-family Mendelian randomization study. eLIFE. ISSN 2050-084X. 11. doi: 10.7554/eLife.74320. Full text in Research Archive
Bakken, Nora Refsum; Hannigan, Laurie John; Shadrin, Alexey; Hindley, Guy Frederick Lanyon; Ask, Helga & Reichborn-Kjennerud, Ted [Show all 9 contributors for this article] (2022). Childhood temperamental, emotional, and behavioral characteristics associated with mood and anxiety disorders in adolescence: A prospective study. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica. ISSN 0001-690X. 147(2), p. 217–228. doi: 10.1111/acps.13522. Full text in Research Archive
Weiner, Daniel J.; Ling, Emi; Erdin, Serkan; Tai, Derek J. C.; Yadav, Rachita & Grove, Jakob [Show all 110 contributors for this article] (2022). Statistical and functional convergence of common and rare genetic influences on autism at chromosome 16p. Nature Genetics. ISSN 1061-4036. 54(11), p. 1630–1639. doi: 10.1038/s41588-022-01203-y. Full text in Research Archive
Madley-Dowd, Paul; Dardani, Christina; Wootton, Robyn E; Dack, Kyle; Palmer, Tom & Thurston, Rupert [Show all 10 contributors for this article] (2022). Maternal vitamin D during pregnancy and offspring autism and autism-associated traits: a prospective cohort study. Molecular Autism. ISSN 2040-2392. 13. doi: 10.1186/s13229-022-00523-4. Full text in Research Archive
Pingault, Jean-Baptiste; Barkhuizen, Wikus; Wang, Biyao; Hannigan, Laurie John; Eilertsen, Espen Moen & Corfield, Elizabeth Claire [Show all 16 contributors for this article] (2022). Genetic nurture versus genetic transmission of risk for ADHD traits in the Norwegian Mother, Father and Child Cohort Study. Molecular Psychiatry. ISSN 1359-4184. doi: 10.1038/s41380-022-01863-6. Full text in Research Archive
Madley-Dowd, Paul; Dardani, Christina; Wootton, Robyn E; Dack, Kyle; Palmer, Tom & Thurston, Rupert [Show all 10 contributors for this article] (2022). Maternal vitamin D during pregnancy and ofspring autism and autism‑associated traits: a prospective cohort study. Molecular Autism. ISSN 2040-2392. 13. doi: 10.1186/s13229-022-00523-4. Full text in Research Archive
Warrier, Varun; Zhang, Xinhe; Reed, Patrick; Havdahl, Alexandra; Moore, Tyler M. & Cliquet, Freddy [Show all 83 contributors for this article] (2022). Genetic correlates of phenotypic heterogeneity in autism. Nature Genetics. ISSN 1061-4036. 54(9), p. 1293–1304. doi: 10.1038/s41588-022-01072-5. Full text in Research Archive
Sadik, Aws; Dardani, Christina; Pagoni, Panagiota; Havdahl, Alexandra; Stergiakouli, Evie & Grove, Jakob [Show all 15 contributors for this article] (2022). Parental inflammatory bowel disease and autism in children. Nature Medicine. ISSN 1078-8956. 28(7), p. 1406–1411. doi: 10.1038/s41591-022-01845-9. Full text in Research Archive
Howe, Laurence J.; Nivard, Michel G.; Morris, Tim T.; Hansen, Ailin Falkmo; Rasheed, Humaira & Cho, Yoonsu [Show all 105 contributors for this article] (2022). Within-sibship genome-wide association analyses decrease bias in estimates of direct genetic effects. Nature Genetics. ISSN 1061-4036. 54(5), p. 581–592. doi: 10.1038/s41588-022-01062-7. Full text in Research Archive Show summary
Estimates from genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of unrelated individuals capture effects of inherited variation (direct effects), demography (population stratification, assortative mating) and relatives (indirect genetic effects). Family-based GWAS designs can control for demographic and indirect genetic effects, but large-scale family datasets have been lacking. We combined data from 178,086 siblings from 19 cohorts to generate population (between-family) and within-sibship (within-family) GWAS estimates for 25 phenotypes. Within-sibship GWAS estimates were smaller than population estimates for height, educational attainment, age at first birth, number of children, cognitive ability, depressive symptoms and smoking. Some differences were observed in downstream SNP heritability, genetic correlations and Mendelian randomization analyses. For example, the within-sibship genetic correlation between educational attainment and body mass index attenuated towards zero. In contrast, analyses of most molecular phenotypes (for example, low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol) were generally consistent. We also found within-sibship evidence of polygenic adaptation on taller height. Here, we illustrate the importance of family-based GWAS data for phenotypes influenced by demographic and indirect genetic effects.
Havdahl, Alexandra; Wootton, Robyn E; Leppert, Beate; Riglin, Lucy; Ask, Helga & Tesli, Martin Steen [Show all 16 contributors for this article] (2022). Associations between Pregnancy-Related Predisposing Factors for Offspring Neurodevelopmental Conditions and Parental Genetic Liability to Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Autism, and Schizophrenia: The Norwegian Mother, Father and Child Cohort Study (MoBa). JAMA psychiatry. ISSN 2168-6238. 79(8), p. 799–810. doi: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2022.1728. Full text in Research Archive
Isungset, Martin Arstad; Conley, Dalton C; Zachrisson, Henrik Daae; Ystrøm, Eivind; Havdahl, Alexandra & Njølstad, Pål Rasmus [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2022). Social and genetic associations with educational performance in a Scandinavian welfare state. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. ISSN 0027-8424. 119(25). doi: 10.1073/pnas.2201869119. Full text in Research Archive
Eilertsen, Espen Moen; Gillespie Cheesman, Rosa Catherine; Ayorech, Ziada; Røysamb, Espen; Pingault, Jean-Baptiste & Njølstad, Pål Rasmus [Show all 11 contributors for this article] (2022). On the importance of parenting in externalizing disorders: an evaluation of indirect genetic effects in families. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry. ISSN 0021-9630. 63(10), p. 1186–1195. doi: 10.1111/jcpp.13654. Full text in Research Archive
Magnus, Maria Christine; Havdahl, Alexandra; Wilcox, Allen J. & Goisis, Alice (2022). Parental fecundability and neurodevelopmental delays and difficulties in offspring. International Journal of Epidemiology. ISSN 0300-5771. 51(5), p. 1511–1521. doi: 10.1093/ije/dyac094. Full text in Research Archive
Jami, Eshim S.; Hammerschlag, Anke R.; Ip, Hill F.; Allegrini, Andrea G.; Benyamin, Beben & Border, Richard [Show all 94 contributors for this article] (2022). Genome-wide association meta-analysis of childhood and adolescent internalizing symptoms. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. ISSN 0890-8567. 61(7), p. 934–945. doi: 10.1016/j.jaac.2021.11.035. Full text in Research Archive
Caramaschi, Doretta; Neumann, Alexander; Cardenas, Andres; Tindula, Gwen; Alemany, Silvia & Zillich, Lea [Show all 40 contributors for this article] (2022). Meta-analysis of epigenome-wide associations between DNA methylation at birth and childhood cognitive skills. Molecular Psychiatry. ISSN 1359-4184. 27, p. 2126–2135. doi: 10.1038/s41380-022-01441-w. Full text in Research Archive
Wootton, Robyn; Riglin, Lucy; Blakey, R; Agnew-Blais, Jessica; Caye, Arthur & Cadman, Tim [Show all 19 contributors for this article] (2022). Decline in attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder traits over the life course in the general population: trajectories across five population birth cohorts spanning ages 3 to 45 years . International Journal of Epidemiology. ISSN 0300-5771. 51(3), p. 919–930. doi: 10.1093/ije/dyac049. Full text in Research Archive
Torvik, Fartein Ask; Eilertsen, Espen Moen; Hannigan, Laurie John; Cheesman, Rosa Catherine Gillespie; Howe, Laurence J. & Magnus, Per Minor [Show all 11 contributors for this article] (2022). Modeling assortative mating and genetic similarities between partners, siblings, and in-laws. Nature Communications. ISSN 2041-1723. 13. doi: 10.1038/s41467-022-28774-y. Full text in Research Archive
Dack, Kyle; Fell, Matthew; Taylor, Caroline M.; Havdahl, Alexandra & Lewis, Sarah J. (2022). Prenatal Mercury Exposure and Neurodevelopment up to the Age of 5 Years: A Systematic Review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (IJERPH). ISSN 1661-7827. 19(4). doi: 10.3390/ijerph19041976. Full text in Research Archive
Martin, Joanna; Agha, Sharifah Shameem; Eyre, Olga; Riglin, Lucy; Langley, Kate & Hubbard, Leon [Show all 57 contributors for this article] (2021). Sex differences in anxiety and depression in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: Investigating genetic liability and comorbidity. American Journal of Medical Genetics Part B: Neuropsychiatric Genetics. ISSN 1552-4841. 186(7), p. 412–422. doi: 10.1002/ajmg.b.32842.
Demontis, Ditte; Walters, Raymond K; Rajagopal, Veera M.; Waldman, Irwin D.; Grove, Jakob & Als, Tomas D. [Show all 21 contributors for this article] (2021). Risk variants and polygenic architecture of disruptive behavior disorders in the context of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Nature Communications. ISSN 2041-1723. doi: 10.1038/s41467-020-20443-2.

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Lund, Ingunn Olea; Jensen, Pia; Madsen, Christian; Hauge, Lars Johan; Havdahl, Alexandra & Reneflot, Anne [Show all 8 contributors for this article] (2024). Age-group variations in patterns of psychiatric healthcare utilization during the pandemic among children and adolescents with pre-existing diagnoses.
Hannigan, Laurie J.; Lund, Ingunn Olea; Askelund, Jo Adrian Dahl; Ystrøm, Eivind; Corfield, Elizabeth Claire & Ask, Helga [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2023). Genotype–environment interplay in associations between maternal drinking and offspring emotional and behavioral problems – CORRIGENDUM. Psychological Medicine. ISSN 0033-2917. doi: 10.1017/S0033291723003483.
Havdahl, Alexandra; Lønning, Kari-Jussie; Rootwelt, Terje; Vrabel, KariAnne & Høstmælingen, Andreas (2023). Presisjonsbehandling i psykisk helsevern: Hvor står vi? [Internet]. Arendalsuka.
Havdahl, Alexandra & Todal, Per Anders (2023). Ingen alarm frå forskingsfronten. [Newspaper]. Dag og Tid.
Ayorech, Ziada; Cheesman, Rosa Catherine Gillespie; Eilertsen, Espen Moen; Havdahl, Alexandra & Ystrøm, Eivind (2023). Family-based approaches to gene-environment interplay.
Ayorech, Ziada; Cheesman, Rosa Catherine Gillespie; Eilertsen, Espen Moen; Havdahl, Alexandra & Ystrøm, Eivind (2023). The genetics of depression across the childbearing years.
Ayorech, Ziada; Davies, Neil; Smith, George Davey; Watson, Hunna J; Yilmaz, Zeynep & Bulik, Cynthia M [Show all 15 contributors for this article] (2023). Causal risk factors for childhood eating behaviours and adulthood anorexia nervosa. A between and within family Mendelian randomisation study.
Ayorech, Ziada; Torvik, Fartein Ask; Cheesman, Rosa Catherine Gillespie; Eilertsen, Espen Moen; Valstad, Mathias & Bjørndal, Ludvig Daae [Show all 9 contributors for this article] (2023). Leveraging family data can reveal the role of selection bias in genomic research.
Gjerdevik, Miriam; Jugessur, Astanand; Gjessing, Håkon Kristian; Corfield, Elizabeth Claire; Havdahl, Alexandra & Harris, Jennifer Ruth [Show all 9 contributors for this article] (2023). Parent-of-origin effects on childhood asthma.
Høberg, André; Solberg, Berit Skretting; Haavik, Jan; Smajlagic, Dinka; Havdahl, Alexandra & Bekkhus, Mona [Show all 8 contributors for this article] (2023). Genetically Informed Early Identification of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Symptoms in the Norwegian Mother, Father and Child Cohort Study (MoBa).
Corfield, Elizabeth Claire; Hannigan, Laurie John; Reichborn-Kjennerud, Ted; Ask, Helga & Havdahl, Alexandra (2023). Investigating the Relationship between Sleep Phenotypes and Neurodevelopmental Conditions in Children and Adolescents from the Norwegian Mother, Father, and Child Cohort Study (MoBa).
Hegemann, Laura; Askeland, Ragna Bugge; Valand, Stian Barbo; Øyen, Anne-Siri; Schjølberg, Synnve & Bal, Vanessa Hus [Show all 11 contributors for this article] (2023). Measuring Autism-Associated Traits in the General Population: Factor Structure and Measurement Invariance across Sex and Diagnostic Status in the Social Communication Questionnaire.
Hegemann, Laura; Corfield, Elizabeth Claire; Eilertsen, Espen Moen; Cheesman, Rosa Catherine Gillespie; Ask, Helga & Hannigan, Laurie John [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2023). Indirect and Direct Genetic Effects in Early Neurodevelopmental Traits.
Birkenæs, Viktoria; Shadrin, Alexey; Parekh, Pravesh; Frei, Evgeniia; Havdahl, Alexandra & Andreassen, Ole [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2023). Self-Reported Psychotic Experiences: Does an Unreliable Phenotypic Measure Introduce Bias in Genetic Associations?
Birkenæs, Viktoria; Shadrin, Alexey; Frei, Evgeniia; Parekh, Pravesh; Jaholkowski, Piotr Pawel & Smeland, Olav Bjerkehagen [Show all 9 contributors for this article] (2023). Genome-Wide Analysis of Self-Reported Psychotic Experiences in the Norwegian Mother, Father, and Child study.
Hannigan, Laurie John; Tesli, Martin Steen; Corfield, Elizabeth Claire; Bragantini, Daniela; Hegemann, Laura & Andreassen, Ole [Show all 8 contributors for this article] (2023). Genetic overlap between ADHD and cardiometabolic traits: an investigation in MoBa using polygenic transmission disequilibrium analyses.
Askelund, Adrian Dahl; Hegemann, Laura; Corfield, Elizabeth Claire; Ystrøm, Eivind; Ask, Helga & Havdahl, Alexandra [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2023). Genetic and environmental factors associated with differentiation between behavioural and emotional problems across early life.
Lund, Ingunn Olea; Hannigan, Laurie; Ask, Helga; Askelund, Jo Adrian Dahl; Hegemann, Laura & Corfield, Elizabeth Claire [Show all 11 contributors for this article] (2023). PRENATAL MATERNAL STRESS: TRIANGULATING EVIDENCE FOR INTRAUTERINE EXPOSURE EFFECTS ON BIRTH AND EARLY CHILDHOOD OUTCOMES ACROSS MULTIPLE APPROACHES.
Lund, Ingunn Olea; Hannigan, Laurie; Ask, Helga; Askelund, Jo Adrian Dahl; Hegemann, Laura & Corfield, Elizabeth Claire [Show all 11 contributors for this article] (2023). Prenatal maternal stress: triangulating evidence for intrauterine exposure effects on birth and early childhood outcomes across multiple approaches.
Pettersen, Johanne Hagen; Hegemann, Laura; Gustavson, Kristin; Lund, Ingunn Olea; Jensen, Pia & Nesvåg, Ragnar [Show all 10 contributors for this article] (2023). Eating problems among adolescents before and during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Pettersen, Johanne Hagen; Hegemann, Laura; Gustavson, Kristin; Lund, Ingunn Olea; Jensen, Pia & Nesvåg, Ragnar [Show all 10 contributors for this article] (2023). Eating problems among adolescents before and during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Corfield, Elizabeth Claire; Hannigan, Laurie John; Havdahl, Alexandra & Ask, Helga (2023). Investigating the genetic architecture of sleep problems in childhood and adolescence in the Norwegian Mother, Father, and Child Cohort Study (MoBa).
Demontis, Ditte; Walters, G. Bragi; Athanasiadis, Georgios; Walters, Raymond; Therrien, Karen & Nielsen, Trine Tollerup [Show all 86 contributors for this article] (2023). Author Correction: Genome-wide analyses of ADHD identify 27 risk loci, refine the genetic architecture and implicate several cognitive domains (Nature Genetics, (2023), 55, 2, (198-208), 10.1038/s41588-022-01285-8). Nature Genetics. ISSN 1061-4036. doi: 10.1038/s41588-023-01350-w.
Havdahl, Alexandra (2022). ADHD and Other Disorders: Impact of Exposures, Genetics. [Internet]. MedPage Today.
Havdahl, Alexandra (2022). Child body weight has limited effects on mood and behavioral disorders. [Internet]. Science Daily.
Havdahl, Alexandra & Choi, Charles (2022). Maternal genetics may confound studies of autism’s link to prenatal factors. [Internet]. Spectrum News.
Smajlagic, Dinka; Tsotsi, Stella; Gjerdevik, Miriam; Page, Christian Magnus; Zayats, Tetyana & Austerberry, Chloe [Show all 14 contributors for this article] (2022). Parent-of-origin effects in childhood aggression.
Hannigan, Laurie John; Hegemann, Laura; Ask, Helga; Corfield, Elizabeth Claire & Havdahl, Alexandra (2022). Latent polygenic profile analysis (LPPA) as a tool for dimension reduction and exploring the phenotypic correlates of overlapping genetic liabilities .
Ask, Helga & Havdahl, Alexandra Karoline Saasen (2022). Current achievements and new opportunities in MoBa.
Eilertsen, Espen Moen; Cheesman, Rosa Catherine Gillespie; Ayorech, Ziada; Røysamb, Espen; Pingault, Jean-Baptiste & Njølstad, Pål Rasmus [Show all 11 contributors for this article] (2022). A trio-gcta study of indirect and direct genetic effects on hyperactivity, inattention, conduct problems, and oppositional-defiant behaviors. European Neuropsychopharmacology. ISSN 0924-977X. 63. doi: 10.1016/j.euroneuro.2022.07.307.
Bjørndal, Ludvig Daae; Eilertsen, Espen Moen; Baldwin, Jessie R.; Ayorech, Ziada; Cheesman, Rosa Catherine Gillespie & Ahmadzadeh, Yasmin [Show all 13 contributors for this article] (2022). Disentangling intrafamilial effects on maternal depression using trio-GCTA. European Neuropsychopharmacology. ISSN 0924-977X. 63. doi: 10.1016/j.euroneuro.2022.07.125.
Ayorech, Ziada; Cheesman, Rosa Catherine Gillespie; Eilertsen, Espen Moen; Torvik, Fartein Ask; Andreassen, Ole & Havdahl, Alexandra Karoline Saasen [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2022). The genetics of depression across the childbearing years.
Eilertsen, Espen Moen; Cheesman, Rosa Catherine Gillespie; Ayorech, Ziada; Røysamb, Espen; Pingault, Jean-Baptiste & Njølstad, Pål Rasmus [Show all 11 contributors for this article] (2022). A trio-gcta study of indirect and direct genetic effects on hyperactivity, inattention, conduct problems, and oppositional-defiant behaviors.
Hannigan, Laurie John; Lund, Ingunn Olea; Askelund, Adrian Dahl; Ystrøm, Eivind; Corfield, Elizabeth Claire & Ask, Helga [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2022). Gene-environment interplay in associations between maternal at-risk drinking and early childhood emotional and behavioural development in the Norwegian Mother, Father, and Child Cohort.
Corfield, Elizabeth Claire; Shadrin, Alexey; Frei, Oleksandr; Rahman, Zillur; Lin, Aihua & Athanasiu, Lavinia [Show all 15 contributors for this article] (2022). Genetic profile of the Norwegian Mother, Father, and Child Cohort Study (MoBa): Results from the MoBaPsychGen pipeline.
Bjørndal, Ludvig Daae; Eilertsen, Espen Moen; Baldwin, Jessie R.; Ayorech, Ziada; Cheesman, Rosa Catherine Gillespie & Ahmadzadeh, Yasmin [Show all 13 contributors for this article] (2022). Disentangling intrafamilial effects on maternal depression using trio-GCTA.
Corfield, Elizabeth Claire; Frei, Oleksandr; Shadrin, Alexey; Rahman, Zillur; Lin, Aihua & Athanasiu, Lavinia [Show all 26 contributors for this article] (2022). The Norwegian Mother, Father, and Child cohort study (MoBa) genotyping data resource: the MoBaPsychGen_v1 pipeline.
Askelund, Adrian Dahl; Hegemann, Laura; Corfield, Elizabeth Claire; Ask, Helga; Ystrøm, Eivind & Havdahl, Alexandra [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2022). The genomics of psychiatric symptom differentiation in early life. Show summary
Background: An emerging body of evidence suggests that genetic risk for psychiatric conditions is diffuse, probabilistic in nature, and overlaps substantially across different domains. However, psychiatric conditions are diagnosed and treated as specific disorders based on differentiated symptom clusters. In the context of generalised genetic risk, it remains to be determined how distinct psychiatric conditions emerge. The prospects of using genomic data to predict individual-level risk for psychiatric conditions are at present unclear. For prediction to be useful, it needs to be both sensitive (identifying who is at risk) and specific (at risk for what). While increasing sample sizes for genetic discovery may boost sensitivity, the generalised nature of genetic risk implies that identifying predictors of differentiation of psychiatric symptoms may be needed to increase specificity. The Norwegian Mother, Father, and Child Cohort Study (MoBa) is a large population-based pregnancy cohort with genotype and phenotype data, ideally suited to address these questions. Methods: We used the Child Behavior Checklist to assess behavioural and emotional difficulties at ages 1.5, 3, and 5. Symptom¬ differentiation was operationalised as the relative level of these domains over time (behavioural difficulties – emotional difficulties = differentiation). This means that individuals with high scores have relatively more behavioural than emotional difficulties, and the inverse for low scores. These scores can be compared to overall difficulties (behavioural + emotional = total). Following a preregistered analysis plan, we estimated latent growth trajectories of differentiation across early childhood, as well as mediation effects of differentiation on symptoms of psychiatric conditions at age 8. We tested associations between 10 polygenic scores (PGS) for core neurodevelopmental and psychiatric conditions and the extent (intercept) and rate (slope) of the differentiation process. The analytic sample comprised 57,387 genotyped children (including 12,347 pairs of full siblings) from MoBa. We used multilevel structural equation models to account for unmeasured familial confounding, and corrected for multiple comparisons using FDR. Results: ADHD PGS predicted the extent and rate of differentiation toward behavioural difficulties in early childhood (βintercept = 0.10 [0.09, 0.11]; βslope = 0.02 [0.02, 0.03]), and the extent of differentiation at age 5 in turn mediated 33-37% of the PGS associations with ADHD symptoms at age 8. The ADHD PGS association was smaller for total difficulties (βintercept = 0.05 [0.04, 0.06]; βslope = 0.01 [0.01, 0.02]). Schizophrenia PGS predicted differentiation toward emotional difficulties at age 5 (βintercept = -0.03 [-0.04, -0.02]; βslope = -0.01 [-0.02, -0.01]), and bipolar disorder PGS predicted differentiation toward behavioural difficulties (βintercept = 0.02 [0.01, 0.03]; βslope = 0.01 [0.01, 0.02]) – though in both cases effect sizes were substantially smaller. Discussion: We identify genomic predictors of symptom differentiation in early life. Results support a direct effect of ADHD PGS on differentiation toward behavioural difficulties, independent of individuals’ total burden of symptoms. PGS for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder differentially associates with the development of emotional and behavioural difficulties in early childhood. This research may help refine risk predictions in child psychiatry, an important step to enable early prevention.
Askeland, Ragna Bugge; Hannigan, Laurie John; O'Connell, Kevin Sean; Corfield, Elizabeth Claire; Frei, Oleksandr & Thapar, Anita [Show all 11 contributors for this article] (2022). Developmental manifestations of polygenic risk for bipolar disorder from infancy to middle childhood.
Hegemann, Laura; Askeland, Ragna Bugge; Corfield, Elizabeth Claire; Askelund, Adrian Dahl; Hannigan, Laurie John & Havdahl, Alexandra (2022). Exploring shared genetic liability across early neurodevelopmental delays and atypicalities in the general population.
Wootton, Robyn E; Sallis, Hannah M.; martin, joanna; Dennison, Charlotte A.; Corfield, Elizabeth & Andreassen, Ole A [Show all 9 contributors for this article] (2022). Direct and indirect genetic effects of parental mental health on childhood emotional problems in the Norwegian Mother, Father and Child cohort study (MoBa).
Wootton, Robyn E; Chong, Amanda; Mahmoud, Osama; Munafò, Marcus R.; Tilling, Kate & Havdahl, Alexandra (2022). Exploring the Role of Smoking in Recovery from Major Depression: A Mendelian Randomisation Study.
Pettersen, Johanne Hagen; Hannigan, Laurie John; Eilertsen, Espen Moen; Gustavson, Kristin; Lund, Ingunn Olea & Jensen, Pia [Show all 10 contributors for this article] (2022). Indirect genetic influences on mental distress in mother-father-offspring trios during the covid-19 lockdown.
Hannigan, Laurie John & Havdahl, Alexandra (2022). Editorial: Developmental Psychiatric Genetic Epidemiology: Where Are We, and What Challenges Do We Face Going Forward? Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. ISSN 0890-8567. 61(2), p. 125–127. doi: 10.1016/j.jaac.2021.05.014.
Kleppestø, Thomas Haarklau; Eilertsen, Espen Moen; van Bergen, Elsje; Zeitsch, Brendan; Sunde, Hans Fredrik & Nordmo, Magnus [Show all 10 contributors for this article] (2021). Intergenerational Transmission of ADHD: More Evidence for Heritability than Fast Life History. Behavior Genetics. ISSN 0001-8244. 51(6), p. 717–717.
Kleppestø, Thomas Haarklau; Eilertsen, Espen Moen; van Bergen, Elsje; Zeitsch, Brendan; Sunde, Hans Fredrik & Nordmo, Magnus [Show all 10 contributors for this article] (2021). Intergenerational Transmission of ADHD: More Evidence for Heritability than Fast Life History.
Wootton, Robyn E; Lawn, Rebecca B.; Magnus, Maria Christine; Treur, Jorien L; Corfield, Elizabeth Claire & Njølstad, Pål Rasmus [Show all 14 contributors for this article] (2022). Health behaviours prior to pregnancy and fertility outcomes: Triangulation of evidence in the Norwegian Mother, Father and Child Cohort Study (MoBa). Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press (CSHL).
Corfield, Elizabeth Claire; Frei, Oleksandr; Shadrin, Alexey; Rahman, Zillur; Lin, Aihua & Athanasiu, Lavinia [Show all 26 contributors for this article] (2022). The Norwegian Mother, Father, and Child cohort study (MoBa) genotyping data resource: MoBaPsychGen pipeline v.1. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press (CSHL). ISSN 2692-8205. (2022). Show summary
Background: The Norwegian Mother, Father, and Child Cohort Study (MoBa) is a population-based pregnancy cohort, which includes approximately 114,500 children, 95,200 mothers, and 75,200 fathers. Genotyping of MoBa has been conducted through multiple research projects, spanning several years; using varying selection criteria, genotyping arrays, and genotyping centres. MoBa contains numerous interrelated families, which necessitated the implementation of a family-based quality control (QC) pipeline that verifies and accounts for diverse types of relatedness. Methods: The MoBaPsychGen pipeline, comprising pre-imputation QC, phasing, imputation, and post-imputation QC, was developed based on current best-practice protocols and implemented to account for the complex structure of the MoBa genotype data. The pipeline includes QC on both single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) and individual level. Phasing and imputation were performed using the publicly available Haplotype Reference Consortium release 1.1 panel as a reference. Information from the Medical Birth Registry of Norway and MoBa questionnaires were used to identify biological sex, year of birth, reported parent-offspring (PO) relationships, and multiple births (only available in the offspring generation). Results: In total, 207,569 unique individuals (90% of the unique individuals included in the study) and 6,981,748 SNPs passed the MoBaPsychGen pipeline. The relatedness checks performed throughout the pipeline allowed identification of within-generation and across-generation first-degree, second-degree, and third-degree relatives. The individuals passing post-imputation QC comprised 64,471 families ranging in size from singletons to 84 unique individuals (singletons are included as families as other family members may not have been genotyped, imputed, or passed post-imputation QC). The relationships identified include 287 monozygotic twin pairs, 22,884 full siblings, 117,004 PO pairs, 23,299 second-degree relative pairs, and 10,828 third-degree relative pairs. Discussion: MoBa contains a highly complex relatedness structure, with a variety of family structures including singletons, PO duos, full (mother, father, child) PO trios, nuclear families, blended families, and extended families. The availability of robustly quality-controlled genetic data for such a large cohort with a unique extended family structure will allow many novel research questions to be addressed. Furthermore, the MoBaPsychGen pipeline has potential utility in similar cohorts.
Hughes, Amanda; Corfield, Elizabeth Claire; Hemani, Gibran; Davies, Neil M. & Havdahl, Alexandra (2021). NIPH PsychGen and MRC IEU post-imputation QC of MoBaGenetics release 1.0, version 1. University of Bristol.

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Published Dec. 9, 2020 11:35 AM - Last modified Mar. 14, 2023 12:56 PM

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