Intergenerational Influence of Mitochondrial DNA on Suicide Risk

Abstract

Suicide, a major public health issue, is the eleventh leading cause of death in the UnitedStates, with nearly 50,000 deaths in 2021 (CDC, 2023). Despite its prevalence, the mechanisms underlying suicide remain poorly understood, especially the intergenerational transmission of suicide risk. This paper investigates the potential role of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) in the genetic transmission of suicide risk across generations. Using data from the Utah Population Database, this study evaluated the correlation of suicide between kin pairs at varying degrees of genetic and mitochondrial relatedness. This study employs an extended pedigree model to estimate the proportion of variance in suicide risk attributable to mtDNA and shared environmental factors. Results revealed no significant effect of mtDNA on suicide risk but indicated a small inverse association between genetic relatedness and suicide risk, with stronger effects observed at