Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience (May 2024)

The potential protective role of Parkinson’s disease against hypothyroidism: co-localisation and bidirectional Mendelian randomization study

  • Jiang Lei,
  • Wenxuan He,
  • Yao Liu,
  • Qinxin Zhang,
  • Yingyao Liu,
  • Qican Ou,
  • Xianli Wu,
  • Fenglin Li,
  • Jiajia Liao,
  • Yousheng Xiao

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3389/fnagi.2024.1377719
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 16

Abstract

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BackgroundThe association between hypothyroidism and Parkinson’s disease (PD) has sparked intense debate in the medical community due to conflicting study results. A better understanding of this association is crucial because of its potential implications for both pathogenesis and treatment strategies.MethodsTo elucidate this complex relationship, we used Bayesian co-localisation (COLOC) and bidirectional Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis. COLOC was first used to determine whether hypothyroidism and PD share a common genetic basis. Subsequently, genetic variants served as instrumental variables in a bidirectional MR to explore causal interactions between these conditions.ResultsCOLOC analysis revealed no shared genetic variants between hypothyroidism and PD, with a posteriori probability of hypothesis 4 (PPH4) = 0.025. Furthermore, MR analysis indicated that hypothyroidism does not have a substantial causal effect on PD (OR = 0.990, 95% CI = 0.925, 1.060, p = 0.774). Conversely, PD appears to have a negative causal effect on hypothyroidism (OR = 0.776, 95% CI = 0.649, 0.928, p = 0.005).ConclusionOur findings suggest the absence of shared genetic variants between hypothyroidism and PD. Interestingly, PD may inversely influence the risk of developing hypothyroidism, a finding that may inform future research and clinical approaches.

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