Evidence map›Paper›PMID 29051922›Full record

ArticleNature human behaviour2017

Hidden heritability due to heterogeneity across seven populations.

Felix C Tropf, S Hong Lee, Renske M Verweij, Gert Stulp, Peter J van der Most, Ronald de Vlaming, Andrew Bakshi, Daniel A Briley, Charles Rahal, Robert Hellpap and 9 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Nature human behaviour, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 76 papers, 6 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
76citing papers in PubMed, 6 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

76 citing papers in PubMed, 6 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
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  6. Pooled it
  7. Article
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  12. Article
  13. Personality Genomics.Annual review of psychology · 2026
    Review
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  16. The Role of SLC39A8.p.(Ala391Thr) in Schizophrenia Symptom Severity and Cognitive Ability: Cross-Sectional Studies of Schizophrenia and the General UK Population.American journal of medical genetics. Part B, Neuropsychiatric genetics : the official publication of the International Society of Psychiatric Genetics · 2025
    Article
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16 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

19 authors.

Felix C TropfDepartment of Sociology/Nuffield College, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3UQ, UK. felix.tropf@sociology.ox.ac.uk.
S Hong LeeSchool of Environmental and Rural Science, University of New England, Armidale, NSW, 2351, Australia.
Renske M VerweijDepartment of Sociology/Interuniversity Center for Social Science Theory and Methodology, University of Groningen, Groningen, 9712 TG, The Netherlands.
Gert StulpDepartment of Sociology/Interuniversity Center for Social Science Theory and Methodology, University of Groningen, Groningen, 9712 TG, The Netherlands.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0173-5554
Peter J van der MostDepartment of Epidemiology, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, 9700 RB, The Netherlands.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8450-3518
Ronald de VlamingErasmus University Rotterdam Institute for Behavior and Biology, Erasmus School of Economics, Rotterdam, 3062 PA, The Netherlands.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6416-6067
Andrew BakshiInstitute of Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia.
Daniel A BrileyDepartment of Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL, 61820-9998, USA.
Charles RahalDepartment of Sociology/Nuffield College, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3UQ, UK.
Robert HellpapDepartment of Sociology/Nuffield College, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3UQ, UK.
Anastasia N IliadouDepartment of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, PO Box 281, Stockholm, SE-171 77, Sweden.
Tõnu EskoEstonian Genome Center, University of Tartu, 51010, Tartu, Estonia.
Andres MetspaluEstonian Genome Center, University of Tartu, 51010, Tartu, Estonia.
Sarah E MedlandQuantitative Genetics Laboratory, Queensland Institute of Medical Research Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, QLD, 4029, Australia.
Nicholas G MartinQuantitative Genetics Laboratory, Queensland Institute of Medical Research Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, QLD, 4029, Australia.
Nicola BarbanDepartment of Sociology/Nuffield College, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3UQ, UK.
Harold SniederDepartment of Epidemiology, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, 9700 RB, The Netherlands.
Matthew R RobinsonInstitute of Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia.
Melinda C MillsDepartment of Sociology/Nuffield College, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3UQ, UK.

Funding

HRS Yrs29-34: Y33 SSA CoFundingU01AG009740 · NIA · UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AT ANN ARBOR · PI Jessica Faul, KENNETH M LANGA · 1990 to 2026
$555.8M
Cell Interactions in the Inflamed Intestinal MucosaR01DK075787 · NIDDK · BOSTON CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL · PI JOEL N HIRSCHHORN · 2007 to 2026
$13.1M
THE GENETICS OF VULNERABILITY TO NICOTINE ADDICTIONSR01DA012854 · NIDA · WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY · PI MADDEN, PAMELA ANN · 2000 to 2013
$10.4M
Creating a National Resource for Genetic Research in Behavioral & Health SciencesRC2AG036495 · NIA · UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AT ANN ARBOR · PI WEIR, DAVID R. · 2009 to 2010
$7.4M
Expanding a National Resource for Genetic Research in Behavioral & Health ScienceRC4AG039029 · NIA · UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AT ANN ARBOR · PI WEIR, DAVID R. · 2010 to 2010
$6.0M
Molecular Epidemiology of Alcoholism 3 - EDAC FamiliesR01AA013321 · NIAAA · WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY · PI HEATH, ANDREW C. · 2001 to 2005
$4.3M
Molecular Epidemiology of Alcoholism 2- Big SibshipsR01AA013320 · NIAAA · WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY · PI HEATH, ANDREW C. · 2003 to 2007
$3.1M
Genetic Epidemiology of Pathological GamblingR01MH066206 · NIMH · UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI-COLUMBIA · PI SLUTSKE, WENDY S · 2003 to 2007
$2.5M
Molecular Epidemiology of Alcoholism 1: Candidate GeneR01AA013326 · NIAAA · QUEENSLAND INSTITUTE OF MEDICAL RESEARCH · PI MARTIN, NICHOLAS G · 2001 to 2005
$2.1M
VARIATION IN THE EFFECTS OF ALCOHOL ON LIVER FUNCTIONR01AA014041 · NIAAA · QUEENSLAND INSTITUTE OF MEDICAL RESEARCH · PI WHITFIELD, JOHN B · 2003 to 2007
$2.1M
The Genetics of Vulnerability to Nicotine AddictionsR56DA012854 · NIDA · WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY · PI MADDEN, PAMELA ANN · 2007 to 2007
$436k
PERSISTENCE &CHANGE IN DRINKING HABITS: TWIN STUDYR01AA007535 · NIAAA · WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY · PI HEATH, ANDREW C. · 1989 to 1996
–
European Research Council 615603NHLBI NIH HHS HHSN268201100005CNHLBI NIH HHS HHSN268201100005GNHLBI NIH HHS HHSN268201100005INHLBI NIH HHS HHSN268201100006CNHLBI NIH HHS HHSN268201100007CNHLBI NIH HHS HHSN268201100007INHLBI NIH HHS HHSN268201100008CNHLBI NIH HHS HHSN268201100008INHLBI NIH HHS HHSN268201100009CNHLBI NIH HHS HHSN268201100009INHLBI NIH HHS HHSN268201100010CNHLBI NIH HHS HHSN268201100011CNHLBI NIH HHS HHSN268201100011INHLBI NIH HHS HHSN268201100012CNIAAA NIH HHS R01 AA007535NIAAA NIH HHS R01 AA013320NIAAA NIH HHS R01 AA013321NIAAA NIH HHS R01 AA013326NIAAA NIH HHS R01 AA014041NIA NIH HHS RC2 AG036495NIA NIH HHS RC4 AG039029NIA NIH HHS U01 AG009740NIDA NIH HHS R01 DA012854NIDA NIH HHS R56 DA012854NIDDK NIH HHS R01 DK075787NIMH NIH HHS R01 MH066206Wellcome Trust
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Meta-analyses of genome-wide association studies (GWAS), which dominate genetic discovery are based on data from diverse historical time periods and populations. Genetic scores derived from GWAS explain only a fraction of the heritability estimates obtained from whole-genome studies on single populations, known as the 'hidden heritability' puzzle. Using seven sampling populations (N=35,062), we test whether hidden heritability is attributed to heterogeneity across sampling populations and time, showing that estimates are substantially smaller from across compared to within populations. We show that the hidden heritability varies substantially: from zero (height), to 20% for BMI, 37% for education, 40% for age at first birth and up to 75% for number of children. Simulations demonstrate that our results more likely reflect heterogeneity in phenotypic measurement or gene-environment interaction than genetic heterogeneity. These findings have substantial implications for genetic discovery, suggesting that large homogenous datasets are required for behavioural phenotypes and that gene-environment interaction may be a central challenge for genetic discovery.

Indexed as

age at first birtheducational attainmentgene-environment interactionhidden heritabilityhuman reproductionmissing heritability

Identifiers

PMID29051922
PMCPMC5642946

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.