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Researchers at the University of Oslo found that the more complex a trait — like schizophrenia — the more its inherited genetic differences hide in the DNA between genes, not inside them. Studying 34 traits and disorders, they identified a consistent pattern: higher polygenicity means more heritability in intergenic regions. This challenges the common practice of only sequencing protein-coding DNA for complex conditions.
Researchers at the University of Oslo's Centre for Precision Psychiatry have uncovered a striking pattern in how genetic inheritance works across 34 complex traits and disorders: the more polygenic a trait (meaning it's shaped by thousands of tiny genetic variants), the more of its inherited differences are tucked away in the stretches of DNA between genes — regions scientists still understand the least.
The team found that introns (the non-coding segments within genes) held a relatively stable share of heritability across all traits. The real shift was between exons (protein-coding regions) and intergenic DNA — as traits became more polygenic, heritability moved away from exons and toward intergenic regions, a finding with major implications for how genetic studies are designed.
By the Numbers:
Why it matters: For highly polygenic conditions like schizophrenia and other psychiatric disorders, sequencing only the protein-coding genome misses most of the story. Whole-genome sequencing is the better — and now better-justified — approach for understanding and ultimately treating these complex conditions.
