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Machine learning in Alzheimer’s disease genetics

  • Matthew Bracher-Smith
  • , Federico Melograna
  • , Brittany Ulm
  • , C. line Bellenguez
  • , Benjamin Grenier-Boley
  • , Diane Duroux
  • , Alejo J. Nevado
  • , Peter Holmans
  • , Betty M. Tijms
  • , Marc Hulsman
  • , Itziar de Rojas
  • , Rafael Campos-Martin
  • , Sven van der Lee
  • , Atahualpa Castillo
  • , Fahri Küçükali
  • , Oliver Peters
  • , Anja Schneider
  • , Martin Dichgans
  • , Dan Rujescu
  • , Norbert Scherbaum
  • J. rgen Deckert, Steffi Riedel-Heller, Lucrezia Hausner, Laura Molina-Porcel, Emrah Düzel, Timo Grimmer, Jens Wiltfang, Stefanie Heilmann-Heimbach, Susanne Moebus, Thomas Tegos, Nikolaos Scarmeas, Oriol Dols-Icardo, Fermin Moreno, Jordi Pérez-Tur, María J. Bullido, Pau Pastor, Raquel Sánchez-Valle, Victoria Álvarez, Mercè Boada, Pablo García-González, Raquel Puerta, Pablo Mir, Luis M. Real, Gerard Piñol-Ripoll, Jose María García-Alberca, Eloy Rodriguez-Rodriguez, Hilkka Soininen, Sami Heikkinen, Alexandre de Mendonça, Shima Mehrabian, Latchezar Traykov, Jakub Hort, Martin Vyhnalek, Nicolai Sandau, Jesper Qvist Thomassen, Yolande A. L. Pijnenburg, Henne Holstege, John van Swieten, Inez Ramakers, Frans Verhey, Philip Scheltens, Caroline Graff, Goran Papenberg, Vilmantas Giedraitis, Julie Williams, Philippe Amouyel, Anne Boland, Jean-François Deleuze, Gael Nicolas, Carole Dufouil, Florence Pasquier, Olivier Hanon, Stéphanie Debette, Edna Grünblatt, Julius Popp, Roberta Ghidoni, Daniela Galimberti, Beatrice Arosio, Patrizia Mecocci, Vincenzo Solfrizzi, Lucilla Parnetti, Alessio Squassina, Lucio Tremolizzo, Barbara Borroni, Michael Wagner, Benedetta Nacmias, Marco Spallazzi, Davide Seripa, Innocenzo Rainero, Antonio Daniele, Fabrizio Piras, Carlo Masullo, Giacomina Rossi, Frank Jessen, Patrick Kehoe, Tsolaki Magda, Pascual Sánchez-Juan, Kristel Sleegers, Martin Ingelsson, Mikko Hiltunen, Rebecca Sims, Wiesje van der Flier, Ole A. Andreassen, Agustín Ruiz, Alfredo Ramirez, EADB
  • Cardiff University
  • KU Leuven
  • University of Liege
  • University of Oxford
  • Facteurs de Risque et Déterminants Moléculaires des Maladies Liées au Vieillissement (RID-AGE)
  • Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
  • UIC Barcelona
  • Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas
  • University of Cologne
  • Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
  • Flanders Institute for Biotechnology
  • University of Antwerp
  • German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases
  • Berliner Institut für Gesundheitsforschung
  • University of Bonn
  • Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich
  • Munich Cluster for Systems Neurology (SyNergy)
  • Medical University of Vienna
  • University of Duisburg-Essen
  • University of Würzburg
  • Leipzig University
  • Heidelberg University 
  • University of Barcelona
  • Hospital Clinic de Barcelona
  • Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg
  • Technical University of Munich
  • University of Göttingen
  • University of Aveiro
  • Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
  • Columbia University
  • National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
  • Autonomous University of Barcelona
  • Hospital Universitario Donostia
  • Instituto Biogipuzkoa
  • CSIC - Instituto de Biomedicina de Valencia (IBV)
  • CSIC-UAM - Centro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa (CBM)
  • Hospital Universitario La Paz
  • Universidad Autónoma de Madrid
  • Terrassa
  • Hospital Universitari Mutua de Terrassa
  • Hospital Universitario Central de Asturias
  • Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria del Principado de Asturias (ISPA) Platelet Research Lab (NO-F15) Edificio FINBA
  • Hospital Universitario Virgen del Rocio
  • Hospital Universitario de Valme
  • University of Málaga
  • Hospital Universitari Santa Maria de Lleida
  • Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Lleida Fundació Dr. Pifarré
  • Andalusian Institute for Neuroscience
  • Hospital Universitario Marques de Valdecilla
  • University of Eastern Finland
  • University of Lisbon
  • Medical University Sofia
  • Charles University
  • Masaryk University
  • University of Copenhagen
  • Amsterdam UMC - Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
  • Erasmus MC Rotterdam
  • Maastricht University
  • Karolinska Institutet
  • Uppsala University
  • Centre National de Recherche en Génomique Humaine
  • Université de Rouen Normandie
  • Institut national de la santé et de la recherche médicale
  • Service d'information médicale
  • Troubles Cognitifs Dégénératifs et Vasculaires
  • Hôpital Broca
  • University of Zurich
  • University of Lausanne
  • University Hospital of Psychiatry Zurich
  • IRCCS Centro San Giovanni di Dio Fatebenefratelli - Brescia
  • IRCCS Fondazione Ca'Granda – Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico - Milano
  • University of Milan
  • University of Perugia
  • University of Bari
  • University of Cagliari
  • University of Milan - Bicocca
  • University of Brescia
  • Brescia Civil Hospital
  • University of Florence
  • IRCCS Fondazione Don Carlo Gnocchi - Milano
  • University of Parma
  • Vito Fazzi Hospital
  • University of Turin
  • Catholic University of the Sacred Heart
  • Alcohol Use Disorder and Alcohol Related Disease Unit, Department of Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS
  • IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia - Roma
  • IRCCS Fondazione Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta - Milano
  • University of Bristol
  • Université de Tunis El Manar
  • CIEN Tissue Bank, Alzheimer’s Centre Reina Sofía-CIEN Foundation
  • University Health Network (Toronto)
  • University of Toronto
  • University of Oslo
  • University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
  • University of New South Wales
  • Prince of Wales Hospital
  • Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Biodonostia
  • Harokopio University
  • Bangor University
  • Center of Excellence in Depression and Anxiety Disorders
  • Namsos Hospital
  • University College London
  • University of Hamburg
  • Norwegian University of Science and Technology
  • Hospital de Gran Canaria Dr. Negrin
  • Athens Association of Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders
  • CAEBI
  • Azienda Ospedaliera - Universitaria Città della Salute e della Scienza di Torino
  • Haugesund Hospital
  • University of Bergen
  • Delft University of Technology
  • BT-CIEN
  • University of Santiago de Compostela
  • Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin
  • Plateformes Lilloises en Biologie et Santé (PLBS)
  • National Institute for Health and Welfare
  • University of Nottingham
  • Stiftelsen Stockholms Läns Aldrecentrum
  • Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg
  • University of Helsinki
  • Imperial College London
  • Research & Development Unit
  • Utrecht University
  • University of Southampton
  • Sorbonne Université
  • Eisai Co., Ltd.
  • University of Cyprus
  • University of Cambridge
  • Hospital Ramon y Cajal
  • Indiana University
  • Sozialmedizinisches Zentrum Ost - Donauspital
  • Vrije Universiteit Brussel
  • Mutua Terrassa University Hospital
  • University of Groningen
  • University of Thessaly
  • Radboud University Nijmegen
  • University Hospital of Cagliari
  • Instituto de Salud Carlos III
  • The University of Auckland
  • Swansea University
  • Nottingham Trent University
  • Azienda Ospedaliera Careggi
  • Neuropsychiatrie : Recherche Épidémiologique et Clinique
  • Hospital Universitario La Fe
  • Brescia Hospital
  • L'Ospedale San Gerardo
  • Alzheimer Hellas
  • Stavanger University Hospital
  • King's College London
  • Leiden University

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

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Abstract

Traditional statistical approaches have advanced our understanding of the genetics of complex diseases, yet are limited to linear additive models. Here we applied machine learning (ML) to genome-wide data from 41,686 individuals in the largest European consortium on Alzheimer’s disease (AD) to investigate the effectiveness of various ML algorithms in replicating known findings, discovering novel loci, and predicting individuals at risk. We utilised Gradient Boosting Machines (GBMs), biological pathway-informed Neural Networks (NNs), and Model-based Multifactor Dimensionality Reduction (MB-MDR) models. ML approaches successfully captured all genome-wide significant genetic variants identified in the training set and 22% of associations from larger meta-analyses. They highlight 6 novel loci which replicate in an external dataset, including variants which map to ARHGAP25, LY6H, COG7, SOD1 and ZNF597. They further identify novel association in AP4E1, refining the genetic landscape of the known SPPL2A locus. Our results demonstrate that machine learning methods can achieve predictive performance comparable to classical approaches in genetic epidemiology and have the potential to uncover novel loci that remain undetected by traditional GWAS. These insights provide a complementary avenue for advancing the understanding of AD genetics.
Original languageEnglish
Article number6726
JournalNat. Commun.
Volume16
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Dec 2025

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