title: SNP-Based Heritability Estimates of Common and Specific Variance in Self- and Informant-Reported Neuroticism Scales.
abstract: Our study aims to estimate the proportion of the phenotypic variance of Neuroticism and its facet scales that can be attributed to common single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in two adult populations from Estonia (EGCUT; N = 3,292) and the Netherlands (Lifelines; N = 13,383).
  
  
  
  Genomic-relatedness-matrix restricted maximum likelihood (GREML) using genome-wide complex trait analysis (GCTA) software was employed. To build upon previous research, we used self- and informant reports of the 30-facet NEO personality inventories and analyzed both the usual sum scores and the residual facet scores of Neuroticism.
  
  
  
  In the EGCUT cohort, the proportion of phenotypic variance explained by the additive effects of common genetic variants in self- and informant-reported Neuroticism domain scores was 15.2% (p = .070, SE = .11) and 6.2% (p = .293, SE = .12), respectively. The SNP-based heritability estimates at the level of Neuroticism facet scales differed greatly across cohorts and modes of measurement but were generally higher (a) for self- than for informant reports, and (b) for sum than for residual scores.
  
  
  
  Our findings indicate that a large proportion of the heritability of Neuroticism is not captured by additive genetic effects of common SNPs, with some evidence for Gene × Environment interaction across cohorts.
authors.affiliation: University of Warwick.|University of Tartu.
authors.forename: Anu
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Realo
authors.affiliation: University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen.
authors.forename: Peter J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: van der Most
authors.affiliation: University of Tartu.|The Estonian Academy of Sciences.
authors.forename: Jüri
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Allik
authors.affiliation: Estonian Genome Centre of University of Tartu.
authors.forename: Tõnu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Esko
authors.affiliation: University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen.|University of Groningen.
authors.forename: Bertus F
authors.initials: BF
authors.lastname: Jeronimus
authors.affiliation: University of Tartu.
authors.forename: Liisi
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kööts-Ausmees
authors.affiliation: University of Tartu.|University of Edinburgh.
authors.forename: René
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mõttus
authors.affiliation: University of Groningen.|Nuffield College, University of Oxford.
authors.forename: Felix C
authors.initials: FC
authors.lastname: Tropf
authors.affiliation: University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen.|Estonian Genome Centre of University of Tartu.
authors.forename: Harold
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Snieder
authors.affiliation: University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen.
authors.forename: Johan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ormel
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D018070:Biological Specimen Banks; D004957:Estonia; D005260:Female; D059647:Gene-Environment Interaction; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009426:Netherlands; D000075384:Neuroticism; D010551:Personality / Q000235:genetics*; D010641:Phenotype; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: GREML-GCTA; Neuroticism; SNP-based heritability; self- versus informant reports; sum versus residual scores