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South Asia: The Missing Diverse in Diversity

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Abstract

South Asia, making up around 25% of the world’s population, encompasses a wide range of individuals with tremendous genetic and environmental diversity. This region, which spans eight countries, is home to over 4500 anthropologically defined groups that speak numerous languages and have an array of religious beliefs and cultures, making it one of the most diverse places in the world. Much of the region’s rich genetic diversity and structure is the result of a complex combination of population history, migration patterns, and endogamous practices. Despite the overwhelming size and diversity, South Asians have often been underrepresented in genetic research, making up less than 2% of the participants in genetic studies. This has led to a lack of population specific understanding of genetic disease risks. We aim to raise awareness about underlying genetic diversity in this ancestry group, call attention to the lack of representation of the group, and to highlight strategies for future studies in South Asians.

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Funding

The funding was supported by National Institute on Drug Abuse, DA053693, T32DA017637, DA053693, National Institute of Mental Health, MH016880, National Institute on Aging, AG046938, National Institutes of Health, DA051937.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Behavioral Genetics, University of Colorado Boulder, 1480 30 St, Boulder, CO, 80303, USA

    Deepika R. Dokuru, Tanya B. Horwitz, Samantha M. Freis, Michael C. Stallings & Marissa A. Ehringer

  2. Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA

    Deepika R. Dokuru, Tanya B. Horwitz, Samantha M. Freis & Michael C. Stallings

  3. Department of Integrative Physiology, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA

    Marissa A. Ehringer

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  1. Deepika R. Dokuru
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  2. Tanya B. Horwitz
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DRD and TBH wrote the main manuscript text. All authors reviewed the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Deepika R. Dokuru.

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Dokuru, D.R., Horwitz, T.B., Freis, S.M. et al. South Asia: The Missing Diverse in Diversity. Behav Genet 54, 51–62 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10519-023-10161-y

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