Abstract

Introduction: anxiety and depression in children and adolescents are growing concerns globally, with significant rates of diagnosis across diverse populations. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately 7,1 % of children aged 3 to 17 years in the United States have been diagnosed with anxiety, and 3,2 % with depression. The aim of this study is to analyze the correlation between SNPs in the USH1C gene and predisposition to anxiety and depression in children and adolescents from specific populations. Method: genotypes from the 1000 Genomes Project were used to evaluate SNPs in Southeast Asian and European populations. Linkage disequilibrium (LD) analysis was performed using VcfTools and the biological effects of the SNPs were assessed using the Variant Effect Predictor (VEP). Results: two SNPs, rs4757538 and rs16934376, were identified, which showed strong LD with SNP rs79878474 in South Asian populations (r² > 0,7), suggesting their possible association with anxiety and depression. Allele frequencies varied significantly between populations. Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium analysis showed significant imbalance at the global level, but not within individual populations Conclusions: the analyzed SNPs might be related to predisposition to anxiety and depression in specific populations. These findings underline the importance of considering genetic diversity in future studies and developing personalized interventions to address these disorders in children and adolescents.