Genetic Propensity for Delay Discounting and Educational Attainment in Adults Are Associated With Delay Discounting in Preadolescents: Findings From the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study
Recommended Citation
Rabinowitz JA, Thomas N, Strickland JC, Meredith JJ, Hung IT, Cupertino RB, Felton JW, Gelino B, Stone B, Maher BS, Dick D, Yi R, Flores-Ocampo V, García-Marín LM, Rentería ME, Palmer AA, and Sanchez-Roige S. Genetic Propensity for Delay Discounting and Educational Attainment in Adults Are Associated With Delay Discounting in Preadolescents: Findings From the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study. Genes Brain Behav 2025; 24(2):e70020.
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
4-1-2025
Publication Title
Genes, brain, and behavior
Abstract
Higher delay discounting (DD) (i.e., propensity to devalue larger, delayed rewards over immediate, smaller rewards) is a transdiagnostic marker underpinning multiple health behaviors. Although genetic influences account for some of the variability in DD among adults, less is known about the genetic contributors to DD among preadolescents. We examined whether polygenic scores (PGS) for DD, educational attainment, and behavioral traits (i.e., impulsivity, inhibition, and externalizing behavior) were associated with phenotypic DD among preadolescents. Participants included youth (N = 8982, 53% male) from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study who completed an Adjusting Delay Discounting Task at the 1-year follow-up and had valid genetic data. PGS for DD, educational attainment, impulsivity, inhibition, and externalizing behaviors were created based on the largest GWAS available. Separate linear mixed effects models were conducted in individuals most genetically similar to European (EUR; n = 4972), African (AFR; n = 1769), and Admixed American (AMR; n = 2241) reference panels. After adjusting for age, sex, income, and the top ten genetic ancestry principal components, greater PGS for DD and lower educational attainment (but not impulsivity, inhibition, or externalizing) were associated with higher rates of DD (i.e., preference for sooner, smaller rewards) in participants most genetically similar to EUR reference panels. Findings provide insight into the influence of genetic propensity for DD and educational attainment on the discounting tendencies of preadolescents, particularly those most genetically similar to European reference samples, thereby advancing our understanding of the etiology of choice behaviors in this population.
Medical Subject Headings
Humans; Delay Discounting; Male; Female; Adolescent; Educational Status; Impulsive Behavior; Child; Multifactorial Inheritance; Reward; Cognition; Inhibition, Psychological
PubMed ID
40147852
Volume
24
Issue
2
First Page
70020
Last Page
70020
