Global metadata catalogue of youth cohorts with genetic and aggression-related data

Aggressive behavior in youth is partially heritable and clinically and socially important. Despite its importance, research is fragmented across disciplines and cohorts, limiting large-scale genetically informed analyses. Therefore, we systematically mapped existing cohorts that include measures of aggression and genetic data from participants under 18 years of age. We conducted a systematic search of PubMed using 5,400 automatically generated queries combining five controlled vocabularies (age, mental health, aggression, data type, study type). From 5,254 unique records (retrieved January 20, 2025), a large language model pipeline extracted explicitly named cohorts, followed by semi-automated alias deduplication. Human reviewers then screened 188 studies using standardized inclusion criteria: documented accessibility, available genetic data, sample size > 1,000, inclusion of minors < 18 years old, and validated aggression phenotypes. Forty-four cohorts met all criteria, representing ∼ 890,000 individuals worldwide. Technical validation assessed the reproducibility of the automated name extraction and inter-rater agreement. The catalog supports discovery of cohorts and facilitates future cross-cohort studies of aggression-related outcomes in youth.