Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38713711›Full record

ArticlePloS one2024

MVMRmode: Introducing an R package for plurality valid estimators for multivariable Mendelian randomisation.

Benjamin Woolf, Dipender Gill, Andrew J Grant, Stephen Burgess

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Article in PloS one, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

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3citing papers in PubMed
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3 citing papers in PubMed.

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Benjamin WoolfSchool of Psychological Science, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom.ORCID 0000-0002-1505-2570
Dipender GillDepartment of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom.ORCID 0000-0001-7312-7078
Andrew J GrantSydney School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.ORCID 0000-0001-6422-583X
Stephen BurgessMRC Biostatistics Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom.

Funding

Wellcome Trust 225790
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundMendelian randomisation (MR) is the use of genetic variants as instrumental variables. Mode-based estimators (MBE) are one of the most popular types of estimators used in univariable-MR studies and is often used as a sensitivity analysis for pleiotropy. However, because there are no plurality valid regression estimators, modal estimators for multivariable-MR have been under-explored.

methodsWe use the residual framework for multivariable-MR to introduce two multivariable modal estimators: multivariable-MBE, which uses IVW to create residuals fed into a traditional plurality valid estimator, and an estimator which instead has the residuals fed into the contamination mixture method (CM), multivariable-CM. We then use Monte-Carlo simulations to explore the performance of these estimators when compared to existing ones and re-analyse the data used by Grant and Burgess (2021) looking at the causal effect of intelligence, education, and household income on Alzheimer's disease as an applied example.

resultsIn our simulation, we found that multivariable-MBE was generally too variable to be much use. Multivariable-CM produced more precise estimates on the other hand. Multivariable-CM performed better than MR-Egger in almost all settings, and Weighted Median under balanced pleiotropy. However, it underperformed Weighted Median when there was a moderate amount of directional pleiotropy. Our re-analysis supported the conclusion of Grant and Burgess (2021), that intelligence had a protective effect on Alzheimer's disease, while education, and household income do not have a causal effect.

conclusionsHere we introduced two, non-regression-based, plurality valid estimators for multivariable MR. Of these, "multivariable-CM" which uses IVW to create residuals fed into a contamination-mixture model, performed the best. This estimator uses a plurality of variants valid assumption, and appears to provide precise and unbiased estimates in the presence of balanced pleiotropy and small amounts of directional pleiotropy.

Indexed as

Mendelian Randomization AnalysisAlzheimer DiseaseComputer SimulationGenetic VariationHumansMonte Carlo MethodMultivariate AnalysisSoftware

Identifiers

PMID38713711
PMCPMC11075861

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