https://websites4-live-prod.ysmdevs.com/lab/leveylab/news-rss/?orgId=123105&title=Latest+News A selection of the latest research, academic, and other newsworthy developments at Levey Lab en-us Copyright 2026 Yale School of Medicine Fri, 15 May 2026 00:46:34 Z https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-66723-7 https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-66723-7 Erectile dysfunction has complex biological and psychological causes. In a recent study published in Nature Communications, Yale authors Uri Bright, PhD; Joel Gelernter, MD; and colleagues performed cross-ancestry genome-wide association studies and identified multiple risk loci, highlighting SIM1 as a key genetic regulator of erectile function across populations. Tue, 02 Dec 2025 05:00:00 Z https://ebm.bmj.com/content/early/2025/09/16/bmjebm-2025-113913.full https://ebm.bmj.com/content/early/2025/09/16/bmjebm-2025-113913.full Daniel Levey, PhD; Hang Zhou, PhD, Joseph Deak, PhD; and Joel Gelernter, MD, are co-authors of the study, "Alcohol Use and Risk of Dementia in Diverse Populations: Evidence from Cohort, Case–Control and Mendelian Randomisation Approaches" in BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine. Wed, 24 Sep 2025 04:00:00 Z https://websites4-live-prod.ysmdevs.com/lab/leveylab/news-article/new-study-reveals-genetic-psychiatric-and-environmental-factors-contributing-to-alcohol-use-disorder/ https://websites4-live-prod.ysmdevs.com/lab/leveylab/news-article/new-study-reveals-genetic-psychiatric-and-environmental-factors-contributing-to-alcohol-use-disorder/ A new study led by researchers at the Yale School of Medicine and the VA Connecticut Healthcare System provides the most comprehensive analysis to date of genetic, psychiatric, and environmental factors that shape risk for alcohol use disorder. Yale authors are Peter Na, MD, MPH; Joseph Deak, PhD; Daniel Levey, PhD; Robert Pietrzak, PhD, MPH; and Joel Gelernter, MD. Wed, 24 Sep 2025 04:00:00 Z https://websites4-live-prod.ysmdevs.com/lab/leveylab/news-article/yale-study-physical-activity-and-its-relationship-to-health-well-being-and-illness/ https://websites4-live-prod.ysmdevs.com/lab/leveylab/news-article/yale-study-physical-activity-and-its-relationship-to-health-well-being-and-illness/ The benefits of exercise and its positive influence on physical and mental health are well documented, but a new Yale and VA Connecticut study sheds light on the role genetics plays for physical activity, accounting for some of the differences between individuals and showing differences in biology for physical activity at leisure versus physical activity at work and at home. Mon, 21 Jul 2025 04:00:00 Z https://www.nature.com/articles/s41588-025-02189-z#Sec34 https://www.nature.com/articles/s41588-025-02189-z#Sec34 A genome-wide analyses in Nature Genetics identified 30 independent loci associated with obsessive–compulsive disorder, highlighting genetic overlap with other psychiatric disorders and implicating putative effector genes and cell types contributing to its etiology. Marco Galimberti, PhD, associate research scientist, is co-first author. Tue, 13 May 2025 04:00:00 Z https://websites4-live-prod.ysmdevs.com/lab/leveylab/news-article/how-genes-shape-personality-traits-new-links-are-discovered/ https://websites4-live-prod.ysmdevs.com/lab/leveylab/news-article/how-genes-shape-personality-traits-new-links-are-discovered/ By discovering new genetic variations associated with personality traits, researchers at Yale School of Medicine have taken a step toward better understanding the genetic architecture of personality. Mon, 09 Sep 2024 20:00:00 Z https://websites4-live-prod.ysmdevs.com/lab/leveylab/news-article/a-genome-wide-investigation-into-the-underlying-genetic-architecture-of-personality-traits-and-overlap-with-psychopathology/ https://websites4-live-prod.ysmdevs.com/lab/leveylab/news-article/a-genome-wide-investigation-into-the-underlying-genetic-architecture-of-personality-traits-and-overlap-with-psychopathology/ Yale scientists, led by first author Priya Gupta, PhD, postdoctoral associate, and senior author Daniel F. Levey, PhD, assistant professor of psychiatry, investigated the complex underlying genetic architecture of the "big five" personality traits in a cohort of 682,688 people, the largest study of its kind. The results were published in Nature Human Behavior. Thu, 15 Aug 2024 04:00:00 Z https://websites4-live-prod.ysmdevs.com/lab/leveylab/news-article/ysm-va-researchers-complete-first-genome-wide-association-study-of-epiretinal-membrane/ https://websites4-live-prod.ysmdevs.com/lab/leveylab/news-article/ysm-va-researchers-complete-first-genome-wide-association-study-of-epiretinal-membrane/ VA Connecticut Healthcare Center and Yale School of Medicine researchers have completed the first well-powered, genome-wide association study of epiretinal membrane, a common retinal disorder that often causes visual distortion or loss of visual acuity. The first author was Joel Gelernter, MD. Co-author was Daniel Levey, PhD. Wed, 12 Jun 2024 04:00:00 Z https://www.nature.com/articles/s41380-024-02548-y https://www.nature.com/articles/s41380-024-02548-y Marco Galimberti, PhD, postdoctoral associate, and Joel Gelernter, MD, Foundations Fund Professor of Psychiatry and Professor of Genetics and of Neuroscience, are first and senior authors, respectively, of a paper on Molecular Psychiatry that investigates the genetic architecture and causal relationships between cannabis use disorder and lifetime cannabis use with risk for developing substance use disorders and substance use traits. Fri, 05 Apr 2024 04:00:00 Z https://medicine.yale.edu/ysm/news/yale-medicine-magazine/article/journals/ https://medicine.yale.edu/ysm/news/yale-medicine-magazine/article/journals/ A collection of recent studies from YSM Wed, 20 Mar 2024 04:00:00 Z https://websites4-live-prod.ysmdevs.com/lab/leveylab/news-article/vayale-researchers-lead-multi-ancestry-study-of-genetics-of-problematic-alcohol-use/ https://websites4-live-prod.ysmdevs.com/lab/leveylab/news-article/vayale-researchers-lead-multi-ancestry-study-of-genetics-of-problematic-alcohol-use/ A study led by VA Connecticut Healthcare Center/Yale researchers reveals ancestries around the world possess a shared genetic architecture for problematic alcohol use – habitual heavy drinking, accompanied by harmful consequences. Hang Zhou, PhD, assistant professor of psychiatry and of biomedical informatics & data science at Yale School of Medicine and VA Connecticut, and Joel Gelernter, MD, Foundations Fund Professor of Psychiatry, and professor of genetics and of neuroscience at Yale School of Medicine and VA Connecticut, were first and senior authors, respectively. Thu, 07 Dec 2023 05:00:00 Z https://news.yale.edu/2023/11/20/genomic-study-links-cannabis-abuse-multiple-health-problems https://news.yale.edu/2023/11/20/genomic-study-links-cannabis-abuse-multiple-health-problems A Yale-led analysis of the genomes of more than 1 million people has shed light on the underlying biology of cannabis use disorder and associated risks. Mon, 20 Nov 2023 17:00:00 Z https://websites4-live-prod.ysmdevs.com/lab/leveylab/news-article/multi-ancestry-genome-wide-association-study-of-cannabis-use-disorder-yields-insight-into-disease-biology-and-public-health-implications/ https://websites4-live-prod.ysmdevs.com/lab/leveylab/news-article/multi-ancestry-genome-wide-association-study-of-cannabis-use-disorder-yields-insight-into-disease-biology-and-public-health-implications/ In a landmark research study, scientists have unveiled the results of a comprehensive genome-wide association study (GWAS), published in Nature Genetics, shedding new light on the genetic factors underlying cannabis use disorders (CanUD) and their potential link to lung cancer. Mon, 20 Nov 2023 05:00:00 Z https://websites4-live-prod.ysmdevs.com/lab/leveylab/news-article/yale-scientists-identify-genetic-risk-factors-associated-with-habitual-heavy-drinking/ https://websites4-live-prod.ysmdevs.com/lab/leveylab/news-article/yale-scientists-identify-genetic-risk-factors-associated-with-habitual-heavy-drinking/ A new study led by Yale scientists has identified genetic risk factors associated with habitual heavy drinking. Thu, 27 Oct 2022 04:00:00 Z https://www.sciencefriday.com/segments/depression-genetics/ https://www.sciencefriday.com/segments/depression-genetics/ If you have a family member that suffers from depression, chances are you may have more than one. Doctors often say “depression runs in families,” but scientists really had no good idea how—until a major analysis of the genomes of 200,000 military veterans uncovered the 178 genes that influence your risk of major depression. Science Friday producer Katie Feather talked to Dr. Daniel Levey, assistant professor of psychiatry at Yale University School of Medicine. He explains why there are so many associated genes, and more about the massive database that helped scientists find them. Fri, 04 Jun 2021 04:00:00 Z https://medicine.yale.edu/ysm/news/yale-medicine-magazine/article/uncovering-the-biological-underpinnings-of-anxiety-and-post-traumatic-stress-disorder/ https://medicine.yale.edu/ysm/news/yale-medicine-magazine/article/uncovering-the-biological-underpinnings-of-anxiety-and-post-traumatic-stress-disorder/ Stress and anxiety, once considered an affliction of the mind, are rooted in biology as shown by anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) research. Sun, 05 Jul 2020 13:47:14 Z https://www.cnn.com/2020/01/09/health/anxiety-genetic-association-wellness-trnd/index.html https://www.cnn.com/2020/01/09/health/anxiety-genetic-association-wellness-trnd/index.html A massive study of 200,000 veterans identifies genetic links to anxiety. Thu, 09 Jan 2020 04:00:00 Z