Most MR studies assume a linear (dose-response) effect of the risk factor on outcome. Methods for exploring non-linear effects in one-sample and two-sample MR have been developed but require very large numbers to be adequately powered.
There may be lack of statistical power to detect non-linear effects.
References
- Burgess S, Davies NM, Thompson SG, Consortium EP-I. Instrumental variable analysis with a nonlinear exposure-outcome relationship. Epidemiology 2014;25:877-85.
- Silverwood RJ, Holmes MV, Dale CE et al. Testing for non-linear causal effects using a binary genotype in a Mendelian randomization study: application to alcohol and cardiovascular traits. Int J Epidemiol 2014;43:1781-90.
Other terms in 'Sources of bias and limitations in MR':
- Assortative mating
- Canalization
- Collider
- Collider bias
- Confounding
- Dynastic effects
- Exclusion restriction assumption
- Harmonization failure (in two-sample MR)
- Homogeneity Assumption
- Horizontal Pleiotropy
- Independence assumption
- InSIDE assumption (in two-sample MR using aggregate data)
- Monotonicity assumption
- MR for testing critical or sensitive periods
- MR for testing developmental origins
- No effect modification assumption (Additional IV assumption)
- Non-overlapping samples (in two-sample MR)
- Overfitting
- Pleiotropy
- Population stratification
- Regression dilution bias (attenuation by errors)
- Relevance assumption
- Reverse causality
- Same underlying population (in two-sample MR)
- Statistical power/efficiency
- Vertical Pleiotropy
- Weak instrument bias
- Winner's curse