Heritability and molecular genetic basis of electrodermal activity: A genome-wide association study

The molecular genetic basis of electrodermal activity (EDA) was analyzed using 527,829 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in a large population-representative sample of twins and parents (N=4,424) in relation to various EDA indices. Biometric analyses suggested that approximately 50% or more of variance in all EDA indices was heritable. The combined effect of all SNPs together accounted for a significant amount of variance in each index, affirming their polygenic basis and heritability. However, none of the SNPs were genome-wide significant for any EDA index. Previously reported SNP associations with disorders such as substance dependence or schizophrenia, which have been linked to EDA abnormalities, were not significant; nor were associations between EDA and genes in specific neurotransmitter systems. These results suggest that EDA is influenced by multiple genes rather than by polymorphisms with large effects.