Genome-wide association study reveals genetic risk factors for trigeminal neuralgia

Background While many clinical risk factors of trigeminal neuralgia (TN) have been identified, the genetic basis of TN is largely unknown. Here, we perform the first genome-wide association study (GWAS) for TN using three independent DNA biobanks – BioVU, the UK Biobank, and Finngen. Objective To elucidate the genetic basis of TN. Methods Using GWAS summary statistics generated from BioVU, the UK Biobank, and Finngen, we performed fixed-effect meta-analysis across 490,912 individuals (1,188 TN cases and 489,724 controls) to identify genetic risk factors for TN. Genome-wide significance was defined as p < 5.0×10 −8 . Results We identify an intergenic locus on chromosome 1p22.2 flanked by ZNF326 and SNORD3G containing 5 SNPs (rs77449572, rs543311093, rs35117749, rs71666259, and rs116010656) reaching genome-wide significance (p < 5.0 x 10 −8 ), where rs77449572 is the sentinel variant (p = 1.72 x 10 −9 ). The SNP rs77449572 overlaps an enhancer element in cortex-derived neurospheres. In addition, rs71666259 and rs116010656 are located in enhancer elements in embryonic stem cells (HUES48), suggesting potential functional consequences of this locus. We also identify a second locus on chromosome 5q35.1 containing sentinel variant rs62376947 reaching genome-wide significance (p = 2.49 x 10 −8 ). Conclusions To our knowledge, we perform the first GWAS of TN. Future studies should be aimed at understanding the extent to which genetic variation stratifies response to neuropathic pain medication and whether genetic information may be used to identify patients who are likely to benefit (or not) from surgical intervention.