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Willford JA, Kaufman JM. Through a teratological lens: A narrative review of exposure to stress and drugs of abuse during pregnancy on neurodevelopment. Neurotoxicol Teratol 2024; 105:107384. [PMID: 39187031 DOI: 10.1016/j.ntt.2024.107384] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2024] [Revised: 08/20/2024] [Accepted: 08/21/2024] [Indexed: 08/28/2024]
Abstract
Teratological research shows that both prenatal stress and prenatal substance exposure have a significant impact on neurodevelopmental outcomes in children. Using human research, the purpose of this narrative review is to explore the degree to which these exposures may represent complex prenatal and postnatal risks for the development of cognition and behavior in children. An understanding of the HPA axis and its function during pregnancy as well as the types and operationalization of prenatal stress provide a context for understanding the direct and indirect mechanisms by which prenatal stress affects brain and behavior development. In turn, prenatal substance exposure studies are evaluated for their importance in understanding variables that indicate a potential interaction with prenatal stress including reactivity to novelty, arousal, and stress reactivity during early childhood. The similarities and differences between prenatal stress exposure and prenatal substance exposure on neurodevelopmental outcomes including arousal and emotion regulation, cognition, behavior, stress reactivity, and risk for psychopathology are summarized. Further considerations for teratological studies of prenatal stress and/or substance exposure include identifying and addressing methodological challenges, embracing the complexity of pre-and postnatal environments in the research, and the importance of incorporating parenting and resilience into future studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer A Willford
- Slippery Rock University, Department of Psychology, 1 Morrow Way, Slippery Rock, PA 16057, United States of America.
| | - Jesse M Kaufman
- Slippery Rock University, Department of Psychology, 1 Morrow Way, Slippery Rock, PA 16057, United States of America
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Wu Y, De Asis-Cruz J, Limperopoulos C. Brain structural and functional outcomes in the offspring of women experiencing psychological distress during pregnancy. Mol Psychiatry 2024; 29:2223-2240. [PMID: 38418579 PMCID: PMC11408260 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-024-02449-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2023] [Revised: 01/19/2024] [Accepted: 01/23/2024] [Indexed: 03/01/2024]
Abstract
In-utero exposure to maternal psychological distress is increasingly linked with disrupted fetal and neonatal brain development and long-term neurobehavioral dysfunction in children and adults. Elevated maternal psychological distress is associated with changes in fetal brain structure and function, including reduced hippocampal and cerebellar volumes, increased cerebral cortical gyrification and sulcal depth, decreased brain metabolites (e.g., choline and creatine levels), and disrupted functional connectivity. After birth, reduced cerebral and cerebellar gray matter volumes, increased cerebral cortical gyrification, altered amygdala and hippocampal volumes, and disturbed brain microstructure and functional connectivity have been reported in the offspring months or even years after exposure to maternal distress during pregnancy. Additionally, adverse child neurodevelopment outcomes such as cognitive, language, learning, memory, social-emotional problems, and neuropsychiatric dysfunction are being increasingly reported after prenatal exposure to maternal distress. The mechanisms by which prenatal maternal psychological distress influences early brain development include but are not limited to impaired placental function, disrupted fetal epigenetic regulation, altered microbiome and inflammation, dysregulated hypothalamic pituitary adrenal axis, altered distribution of the fetal cardiac output to the brain, and disrupted maternal sleep and appetite. This review will appraise the available literature on the brain structural and functional outcomes and neurodevelopmental outcomes in the offspring of pregnant women experiencing elevated psychological distress. In addition, it will also provide an overview of the mechanistic underpinnings of brain development changes in stress response and discuss current treatments for elevated maternal psychological distress, including pharmacotherapy (e.g., selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) and non-pharmacotherapy (e.g., cognitive-behavior therapy). Finally, it will end with a consideration of future directions in the field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yao Wu
- Developing Brain Institute, Children's National Hospital, Washington, DC, 20010, USA
| | | | - Catherine Limperopoulos
- Developing Brain Institute, Children's National Hospital, Washington, DC, 20010, USA.
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging and Radiology, Children's National Hospital, Washington, DC, 20010, USA.
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Guma E, Chakravarty MM. Immune Alterations in the Intrauterine Environment Shape Offspring Brain Development in a Sex-Specific Manner. Biol Psychiatry 2024:S0006-3223(24)01260-5. [PMID: 38679357 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2024.04.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2023] [Revised: 03/20/2024] [Accepted: 04/17/2024] [Indexed: 05/01/2024]
Abstract
Exposure to immune dysregulation in utero or in early life has been shown to increase risk for neuropsychiatric illness. The sources of inflammation can be varied, including acute exposures due to maternal infection or acute stress, or persistent exposures due to chronic stress, obesity, malnutrition, or autoimmune diseases. These exposures may cause subtle alteration in brain development, structure, and function that can become progressively magnified across the life span, potentially increasing the likelihood of developing a neuropsychiatric conditions. There is some evidence that males are more susceptible to early-life inflammatory challenges than females. In this review, we discuss the various sources of in utero or early-life immune alteration and the known effects on fetal development with a sex-specific lens. To do so, we leveraged neuroimaging, behavioral, cellular, and neurochemical findings. Gaining clarity about how the intrauterine environment affects offspring development is critically important for informing preventive and early intervention measures that may buffer against the effects of these early-life risk factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisa Guma
- Section on Developmental Neurogenomics, Human Genetics Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, Maryland; Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, Massachusetts.
| | - M Mallar Chakravarty
- Computational Brain Anatomy Laboratory, Cerebral Imaging Centre, Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Cerebral Imaging Centre, Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Department of Biomedical Engineering, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
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4
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van Dijk MT, Talati A, Kashyap P, Desai K, Kelsall NC, Gameroff MJ, Aw N, Abraham E, Cullen B, Cha J, Anacker C, Weissman MM, Posner J. Dentate Gyrus Microstructure Is Associated With Resilience After Exposure to Maternal Stress Across Two Human Cohorts. Biol Psychiatry 2024; 95:27-36. [PMID: 37393047 PMCID: PMC10755082 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2023.06.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2023] [Revised: 06/21/2023] [Accepted: 06/21/2023] [Indexed: 07/03/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Maternal stress (MS) is a well-documented risk factor for impaired emotional development in offspring. Rodent models implicate the dentate gyrus (DG) of the hippocampus in the effects of MS on offspring depressive-like behaviors, but mechanisms in humans remain unclear. Here, we tested whether MS was associated with depressive symptoms and DG micro- and macrostructural alterations in offspring across 2 independent cohorts. METHODS We analyzed DG diffusion tensor imaging-derived mean diffusivity (DG-MD) and volume in a three-generation family risk for depression study (TGS; n = 69, mean age = 35.0 years) and in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study (n = 5196, mean age = 9.9 years) using generalized estimating equation models and mediation analysis. MS was assessed by the Parenting Stress Index (TGS) and a measure compiled from the Adult Response Survey from the ABCD Study. The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 and rumination scales (TGS) and the Child Behavior Checklist (ABCD Study) measured offspring depressive symptoms at follow-up. The Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia-Lifetime interview was used to assign depression diagnoses. RESULTS Across cohorts, MS was associated with future symptoms and higher DG-MD (indicating disrupted microstructure) in offspring. Higher DG-MD was associated with higher symptom scores measured 5 years (in the TGS) and 1 year (in the ABCD Study) after magnetic resonance imaging. In the ABCD Study, DG-MD was increased in high-MS offspring who had depressive symptoms at follow-up, but not in offspring who remained resilient or whose mother had low MS. CONCLUSIONS Converging results across 2 independent samples extend previous rodent studies and suggest a role for the DG in exposure to MS and offspring depression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Milenna T van Dijk
- Department of Psychiatry, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, New York; Division of Translational Epidemiology, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, New York
| | - Ardesheer Talati
- Department of Psychiatry, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, New York; Division of Translational Epidemiology, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, New York
| | - Pratik Kashyap
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
| | - Karan Desai
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
| | - Nora C Kelsall
- Division of Translational Epidemiology, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, New York
| | - Marc J Gameroff
- Department of Psychiatry, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, New York; Division of Translational Epidemiology, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, New York
| | - Natalie Aw
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Eyal Abraham
- Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, New York
| | - Breda Cullen
- School of Health and Wellbeing, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Jiook Cha
- Department of Psychology, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Christoph Anacker
- Department of Psychiatry, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, New York; Division of Systems Neuroscience, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, New York; Columbia University Institute for Developmental Sciences, New York, New York
| | - Myrna M Weissman
- Department of Psychiatry, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, New York; Division of Translational Epidemiology, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, New York; Columbia University Institute for Developmental Sciences, New York, New York; Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, New York.
| | - Jonathan Posner
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
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Pfarr JK, Meller T, Brosch K, Stein F, Thomas-Odenthal F, Evermann U, Wroblewski A, Ringwald KG, Hahn T, Meinert S, Winter A, Thiel K, Flinkenflügel K, Jansen A, Krug A, Dannlowski U, Kircher T, Gaser C, Nenadić I. Data-driven multivariate identification of gyrification patterns in a transdiagnostic patient cohort: A cluster analysis approach. Neuroimage 2023; 281:120349. [PMID: 37683808 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2023.120349] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2023] [Revised: 07/14/2023] [Accepted: 08/23/2023] [Indexed: 09/10/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Multivariate data-driven statistical approaches offer the opportunity to study multi-dimensional interdependences between a large set of biological parameters, such as high-dimensional brain imaging data. For gyrification, a putative marker of early neurodevelopment, direct comparisons of patterns among multiple psychiatric disorders and investigations of potential heterogeneity of gyrification within one disorder and a transdiagnostic characterization of neuroanatomical features are lacking. METHODS In this study we used a data-driven, multivariate statistical approach to analyze cortical gyrification in a large cohort of N = 1028 patients with major psychiatric disorders (Major depressive disorder: n = 783, bipolar disorder: n = 129, schizoaffective disorder: n = 44, schizophrenia: n = 72) to identify cluster patterns of gyrification beyond diagnostic categories. RESULTS Cluster analysis applied on gyrification data of 68 brain regions (DK-40 atlas) identified three clusters showing difference in overall (global) gyrification and minor regional variation (regions). Newly, data-driven subgroups are further discriminative in cognition and transdiagnostic disease risk factors. CONCLUSIONS Results indicate that gyrification is associated with transdiagnostic risk factors rather than diagnostic categories and further imply a more global role of gyrification related to mental health than a disorder specific one. Our findings support previous studies highlighting the importance of association cortices involved in psychopathology. Explorative, data-driven approaches like ours can help to elucidate if the brain imaging data on hand and its a priori applied grouping actually has the potential to find meaningful effects or if previous hypotheses about the phenotype as well as its grouping have to be revisited.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia-Katharina Pfarr
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Philipps-University Marburg, Germany; Department of Psychology, Philipps-University Marburg, Germany; Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior, Philipps-University Marburg, Germany.
| | - Tina Meller
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Philipps-University Marburg, Germany; Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior, Philipps-University Marburg, Germany
| | - Katharina Brosch
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Philipps-University Marburg, Germany; Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior, Philipps-University Marburg, Germany
| | - Frederike Stein
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Philipps-University Marburg, Germany; Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior, Philipps-University Marburg, Germany
| | - Florian Thomas-Odenthal
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Philipps-University Marburg, Germany; Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior, Philipps-University Marburg, Germany
| | - Ulrika Evermann
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Philipps-University Marburg, Germany; Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior, Philipps-University Marburg, Germany
| | - Adrian Wroblewski
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Philipps-University Marburg, Germany; Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior, Philipps-University Marburg, Germany
| | - Kai G Ringwald
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Philipps-University Marburg, Germany; Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior, Philipps-University Marburg, Germany
| | - Tim Hahn
- Institute for Translational Psychiatry, University of Münster, Germany
| | - Susanne Meinert
- Institute for Translational Psychiatry, University of Münster, Germany; Institute for Translational Neuroscience, University of Münster, Germany
| | - Alexandra Winter
- Institute for Translational Psychiatry, University of Münster, Germany
| | - Katharina Thiel
- Institute for Translational Psychiatry, University of Münster, Germany
| | | | - Andreas Jansen
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Philipps-University Marburg, Germany; Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior, Philipps-University Marburg, Germany; Core-Facility Brainimaging, Faculty of Medicine, University of Marburg, Germany
| | - Axel Krug
- Department of Psychiatry und Psychotherapy, University Hospital Bonn, Germany
| | - Udo Dannlowski
- Institute for Translational Psychiatry, University of Münster, Germany
| | - Tilo Kircher
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Philipps-University Marburg, Germany; Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior, Philipps-University Marburg, Germany
| | - Christian Gaser
- Department of Neurology, Jena University Hospital, Germany; Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Jena University Hospital, Germany; German Center for Mental Health (DZPG), Site Jena-Magdeburg-Halle, Germany; Center for Intervention and Research on adaptive and maladaptive brain Circuits underlying mental health (C-I-R-C), Jena-Magdeburg-Halle, Germany
| | - Igor Nenadić
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Philipps-University Marburg, Germany; Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior, Philipps-University Marburg, Germany
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Matsudaira I, Yamaguchi R, Taki Y. Transmit Radiant Individuality to Offspring (TRIO) study: investigating intergenerational transmission effects on brain development. Front Psychiatry 2023; 14:1150973. [PMID: 37840799 PMCID: PMC10568142 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1150973] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2023] [Accepted: 09/07/2023] [Indexed: 10/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Intergenerational transmission is a crucial aspect of human development. Although prior studies have demonstrated the continuity of psychopathology and maladaptive upbringing environments between parents and offspring, the underlying neurobiological mechanisms remain unclear. We have begun a novel neuroimaging research project, the Transmit Radiant Individuality to Offspring (TRIO) study, which focuses on biological parent-offspring trios. The participants of the TRIO study were Japanese parent-offspring trios consisting of offspring aged 10-40 and their biological mother and father. Structural and functional brain images of all participants were acquired using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Saliva samples were collected for DNA analysis. We obtained psychosocial information, such as intelligence, mental health problems, personality traits, and experiences during the developmental period from each parent and offspring in the same manner as much as possible. By April 2023, we completed data acquisition from 174 trios consisting of fathers, mothers, and offspring. The target sample size was 310 trios. However, we plan to conduct genetic and epigenetic analyses, and the sample size is expected to be expanded further while developing this project into a multi-site collaborative study in the future. The TRIO study can challenge the elucidation of the mechanism of intergenerational transmission effects on human development by collecting diverse information from parents and offspring at the molecular, neural, and behavioral levels. Our study provides interdisciplinary insights into how individuals' lives are involved in the construction of the lives of their descendants in the subsequent generation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Izumi Matsudaira
- Frontier Research Institute for Interdisciplinary Sciences, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
- Smart-Aging Research Center, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
| | - Ryo Yamaguchi
- Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Tokyo, Japan
- Department of Medical Sciences, Graduate School of Medicine, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
| | - Yasuyuki Taki
- Smart-Aging Research Center, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
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Mareckova K, Miles A, Liao Z, Andryskova L, Brazdil M, Paus T, Nikolova YS. Prenatal stress and its association with amygdala-related structural covariance patterns in youth. Neuroimage Clin 2022; 34:102976. [PMID: 35316668 PMCID: PMC8938327 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2022.102976] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2021] [Revised: 02/05/2022] [Accepted: 02/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Prenatal exposure to stress predicts amygdala degree centrality in young adulthood. High (vs. low) stress group showed lower structural covariance degree of amygdala. These effects were particularly significant in men. Global network parameters did not drive these effects.
Background Prenatal stress influences brain development and mood disorder vulnerability. Brain structural covariance network (SCN) properties based on inter-regional volumetric correlations may reflect developmentally-mediated shared plasticity among regions. Childhood trauma is associated with amygdala-centric SCN reorganization patterns, however, the impact of prenatal stress on SCN properties remains unknown. Methods The study included participants from the European Longitudinal Study of Pregnancy and Childhood (ELSPAC) with archival prenatal stress data and structural MRI acquired in young adulthood (age 23–24). SCNs were constructed based on Freesurfer-extracted volumes of 7 subcortical and 34 cortical regions. We compared amygdala degree centrality, a measure of hubness, between those exposed to high vs. low (median split) prenatal stress, defined by maternal reports of stressful life events during the first (n = 93, 57% female) and second (n = 125, 54% female) half of pregnancy. Group differences were tested across network density thresholds (5–40%) using 10,000 permutations, with sex and intracranial volume as covariates, followed by sex-specific analyses. Finally, we sought to replicate our results in an independent all-male sample (n = 450, age 18–20) from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC). Results The high-stress during the first half of pregnancy ELSPAC group showed lower amygdala degree particularly in men, who demonstrated this difference at 10 consecutive thresholds, with no significant differences in global network properties. At the lowest significant density threshold, amygdala volume was positively correlated with hippocampus, putamen, rostral anterior and posterior cingulate, transverse temporal, and pericalcarine cortex in the low-stress (p(FDR) < 0.027), but not the high-stress (p(FDR) > 0.882) group. Although amygdala degree was nominally lower across thresholds in the high-stress ALSPAC group, these results were not significant. Conclusion Unlike childhood trauma, prenatal stress may shift SCN towards a less amygdala-centric SCN pattern, particularly in men. These findings did not replicate in an all-male ALSPAC sample, possibly due to the sample’s younger age and lower prenatal stress exposure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Klara Mareckova
- Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Canada; Brain and Mind Research, Central European Institute of Technology, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic.
| | - Amy Miles
- Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Canada
| | - Zhijie Liao
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Lenka Andryskova
- RECETOX, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Milan Brazdil
- Brain and Mind Research, Central European Institute of Technology, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Tomas Paus
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada; Departments of Psychiatry and Neuroscience and Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Sainte-Justine, University of Montreal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Yuliya S Nikolova
- Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Canada; Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.
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Miles AE, Dos Santos FC, Byrne EM, Renteria ME, McIntosh AM, Adams MJ, Pistis G, Castelao E, Preisig M, Baune BT, Schubert KO, Lewis CM, Jones LA, Jones I, Uher R, Smoller JW, Perlis RH, Levinson DF, Potash JB, Weissman MM, Shi J, Lewis G, Penninx BWJH, Boomsma DI, Hamilton SP, Sibille E, Hariri AR, Nikolova YS. Transcriptome-based polygenic score links depression-related corticolimbic gene expression changes to sex-specific brain morphology and depression risk. Neuropsychopharmacology 2021; 46:2304-2311. [PMID: 34588609 PMCID: PMC8580972 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-021-01189-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2021] [Accepted: 09/13/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Studies in post-mortem human brain tissue have associated major depressive disorder (MDD) with cortical transcriptomic changes, whose potential in vivo impact remains unexplored. To address this translational gap, we recently developed a transcriptome-based polygenic risk score (T-PRS) based on common functional variants capturing 'depression-like' shifts in cortical gene expression. Here, we used a non-clinical sample of young adults (n = 482, Duke Neurogenetics Study: 53% women; aged 19.8 ± 1.2 years) to map T-PRS onto brain morphology measures, including Freesurfer-derived subcortical volume, cortical thickness, surface area, and local gyrification index, as well as broad MDD risk, indexed by self-reported family history of depression. We conducted side-by-side comparisons with a PRS independently derived from a Psychiatric Genomics Consortium (PGC) MDD GWAS (PGC-PRS), and sought to link T-PRS with diagnosis and symptom severity directly in PGC-MDD participants (n = 29,340, 59% women; 12,923 MDD cases, 16,417 controls). T-PRS was associated with smaller amygdala volume in women (t = -3.478, p = 0.001) and lower prefrontal gyrification across sexes. In men, T-PRS was associated with hypergyrification in temporal and occipital regions. Prefrontal hypogyrification mediated a male-specific indirect link between T-PRS and familial depression (b = 0.005, p = 0.029). PGC-PRS was similarly associated with lower amygdala volume and cortical gyrification; however, both effects were male-specific and hypogyrification emerged in distinct parietal and temporo-occipital regions, unassociated with familial depression. In PGC-MDD, T-PRS did not predict diagnosis (OR = 1.007, 95% CI = [0.997-1.018]) but correlated with symptom severity in men (rho = 0.175, p = 7.957 × 10-4) in one cohort (N = 762, 48% men). Depression-like shifts in cortical gene expression have sex-specific effects on brain morphology and may contribute to broad depression vulnerability in men.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amy E Miles
- Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Fernanda C Dos Santos
- Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Enda M Byrne
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Miguel E Renteria
- Department of Genetics & Computational Biology, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Andrew M McIntosh
- Division of Psychiatry, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
- Centre for Cognitive Ageing and Cognitive Epidemiology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Mark J Adams
- Division of Psychiatry, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Giorgio Pistis
- Department of Psychiatry, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Enrique Castelao
- Department of Psychiatry, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Martin Preisig
- Department of Psychiatry, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Bernhard T Baune
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Münster, Münster, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany
- Department of Psychiatry, Melbourne Medical School, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
- Florey Institute for Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
| | - K Oliver Schubert
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia
- Northern Adelaide Mental Health Services, SA Health, Salisbury, Australia
| | - Cathryn M Lewis
- Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, King's College London, London, UK
- Department of Medical & Molecular Genetics, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Lisa A Jones
- Department of Psychological Medicine, University of Worcester, Worcester, UK
| | - Ian Jones
- MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - Rudolf Uher
- Department of Psychiatry, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
| | - Jordan W Smoller
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Psychiatric and Neurodevelopmental Genetics Unit (PNGU), Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Roy H Perlis
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Douglas F Levinson
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - James B Potash
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Myrna M Weissman
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY, USA
- Division of Translational Epidemiology, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA
| | - Jianxin Shi
- Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Glyn Lewis
- Division of Psychiatry, University College London, Faculty of Brain Sciences, London, UK
| | - Brenda W J H Penninx
- Department of Psychiatry, Vrije Universiteit Medical Center and GGZ inGeest, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Dorret I Boomsma
- Department of Biological Psychology & EMGO+ Institute for Health and Care Research, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Steven P Hamilton
- Department of Psychiatry, Kaiser Permanente Northern California, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Etienne Sibille
- Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Ahmad R Hariri
- Laboratory of NeuroGenetics, Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Yuliya S Nikolova
- Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), Toronto, ON, Canada.
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
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Sikes-Keilp C, Rubinow DR. In search of sex-related mediators of affective illness. Biol Sex Differ 2021; 12:55. [PMID: 34663459 PMCID: PMC8524875 DOI: 10.1186/s13293-021-00400-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2021] [Accepted: 10/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Sex differences in the rates of affective disorders have been recognized for decades. Studies of physiologic sex-related differences in animals and humans, however, have generally yielded little in terms of explaining these differences. Furthermore, the significance of these findings is difficult to interpret given the dynamic, integrative, and highly context-dependent nature of human physiology. In this article, we provide an overview of the current literature on sex differences as they relate to mood disorders, organizing existing findings into five levels at which sex differences conceivably influence physiology relevant to affective states. These levels include the following: brain structure, network connectivity, signal transduction, transcription/translation, and epigenesis. We then evaluate the importance and limitations of this body of work, as well as offer perspectives on the future of research into sex differences. In creating this overview, we attempt to bring perspective to a body of research that is complex, poorly synthesized, and far from complete, as well as provide a theoretical framework for thinking about the role that sex differences ultimately play in affective regulation. Despite the overall gaps regarding both the underlying pathogenesis of affective illness and the role of sex-related factors in the development of affective disorders, it is evident that sex should be considered as an important contributor to alterations in neural function giving rise to susceptibility to and expression of depression.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - David R Rubinow
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
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10
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Sanfelici R, Ruef A, Antonucci LA, Penzel N, Sotiras A, Dong MS, Urquijo-Castro M, Wenzel J, Kambeitz-Ilankovic L, Hettwer MD, Ruhrmann S, Chisholm K, Riecher-Rössler A, Falkai P, Pantelis C, Salokangas RKR, Lencer R, Bertolino A, Kambeitz J, Meisenzahl E, Borgwardt S, Brambilla P, Wood SJ, Upthegrove R, Schultze-Lutter F, Koutsouleris N, Dwyer DB. Novel Gyrification Networks Reveal Links with Psychiatric Risk Factors in Early Illness. Cereb Cortex 2021; 32:1625-1636. [PMID: 34519351 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhab288] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2021] [Revised: 07/12/2021] [Accepted: 07/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Adult gyrification provides a window into coordinated early neurodevelopment when disruptions predispose individuals to psychiatric illness. We hypothesized that the echoes of such disruptions should be observed within structural gyrification networks in early psychiatric illness that would demonstrate associations with developmentally relevant variables rather than specific psychiatric symptoms. We employed a new data-driven method (Orthogonal Projective Non-Negative Matrix Factorization) to delineate novel gyrification-based networks of structural covariance in 308 healthy controls. Gyrification within the networks was then compared to 713 patients with recent onset psychosis or depression, and at clinical high-risk. Associations with diagnosis, symptoms, cognition, and functioning were investigated using linear models. Results demonstrated 18 novel gyrification networks in controls as verified by internal and external validation. Gyrification was reduced in patients in temporal-insular, lateral occipital, and lateral fronto-parietal networks (pFDR < 0.01) and was not moderated by illness group. Higher gyrification was associated with better cognitive performance and lifetime role functioning, but not with symptoms. The findings demonstrated that gyrification can be parsed into novel brain networks that highlight generalized illness effects linked to developmental vulnerability. When combined, our study widens the window into the etiology of psychiatric risk and its expression in adulthood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachele Sanfelici
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Ludwig-Maximilian University, Munich, 80336, Germany.,Max Planck School of Cognition, Leipzig, 04103, Germany
| | - Anne Ruef
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Ludwig-Maximilian University, Munich, 80336, Germany
| | - Linda A Antonucci
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Ludwig-Maximilian University, Munich, 80336, Germany.,Department of Basic Medical Science, Neuroscience and Sense Organs, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, 70124, Italy
| | - Nora Penzel
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital, University of Cologne, Cologne, 50937, Germany
| | - Aristeidis Sotiras
- Department of Radiology and Institute of Informatics, Washington University in St. Luis, st. Luis, MO63110, USA
| | - Mark Sen Dong
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Ludwig-Maximilian University, Munich, 80336, Germany
| | - Maria Urquijo-Castro
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Ludwig-Maximilian University, Munich, 80336, Germany
| | - Julian Wenzel
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital, University of Cologne, Cologne, 50937, Germany
| | - Lana Kambeitz-Ilankovic
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Ludwig-Maximilian University, Munich, 80336, Germany.,Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital, University of Cologne, Cologne, 50937, Germany
| | | | - Stephan Ruhrmann
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital, University of Cologne, Cologne, 50937, Germany
| | - Katharine Chisholm
- Institute for Mental Health, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK.,Department of Psychology, Aston University, Birmingham, B4 7ET, UK
| | | | - Peter Falkai
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Ludwig-Maximilian University, Munich, 80336, Germany.,Max-Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, 80804, Germany
| | - Christos Pantelis
- Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centrem University of Melbourne & Melbourne Health, Melbourne, 3053, Australia
| | | | - Rebekka Lencer
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Münster, Münster, 48149, Germany.,Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, 23538, Germany
| | - Alessandro Bertolino
- Department of Basic Medical Science, Neuroscience and Sense Organs, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, 70124, Italy
| | - Joseph Kambeitz
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital, University of Cologne, Cologne, 50937, Germany
| | - Eva Meisenzahl
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Faculty, Heinrich-Heine University, Düsseldorf, 40629, Germany
| | - Stefan Borgwardt
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, 23538, Germany.,Department of Psychiatry (Psychiatric University Hospital, UPK), University of Basel, Basel, 4002, Switzerland
| | - Paolo Brambilla
- Department of Neurosciences and Mental Health, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Grande Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milano, 20122, Italy.,Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation, University of Milan, Milan, 20122, Italy
| | - Stephen J Wood
- Centre for Youth Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, 3052, Australia.,Orygen, Melbourne, 3052, Australia.,School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK
| | - Rachel Upthegrove
- Institute for Mental Health, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK.,Early Intervention Service, Birmingham Women's and Children's NHS foundation Trust, Birmingham, B4 6NH, UK
| | - Frauke Schultze-Lutter
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Faculty, Heinrich-Heine University, Düsseldorf, 40629, Germany.,Department of Psychology and Mental Health, Faculty of Psychology, Airlangga University, Surubaya, 60286, Indonesia.,University Hospital of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Bern, Bern, 3000, Switzerland
| | - Nikolaos Koutsouleris
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Ludwig-Maximilian University, Munich, 80336, Germany.,Max-Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, 80804, Germany.,Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, SE5 8AF, UK
| | - Dominic B Dwyer
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Ludwig-Maximilian University, Munich, 80336, Germany
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Mareckova K, Marecek R, Andryskova L, Brazdil M, Nikolova YS. Impact of prenatal stress on amygdala anatomy in young adulthood: Timing and location matter. BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY: COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE AND NEUROIMAGING 2021; 7:231-238. [PMID: 34358683 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsc.2021.07.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2021] [Revised: 07/15/2021] [Accepted: 07/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Exposure to maternal stress in utero has long-term implications for the developing brain and has been linked with a higher risk of depression. The amygdala, which develops during the early embryonic stage and is critical for emotion processing, might be particularly sensitive. METHODS Using data from a neuroimaging follow-up of the ELSPAC prenatal birth cohort (n=129, 47% men, 23-24 years old), we studied the impact of prenatal stress during the first and second half of pregnancy on the volume of the amygdala and its nuclei in young adult offspring. We further evaluated the relationship between amygdala anatomy and offspring depressive symptomatology. Amygdala nuclei were parcellated using FreeSurfer's automated segmentation pipeline. Depressive symptoms were measured via self-report using the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). RESULTS Exposure to stress during the first half of pregnancy was associated with smaller accessory basal (Cohen's f2=0.27, p(FDR)=0.03) and cortical (Cohen's f2=0.29, p(FDR)=0.03) nuclei volumes. This effect remained significant after correcting for sex, stress during the second half of pregnancy, as well as maternal age at birth, birth weight, maternal education, and offspring's age at MRI. These two nuclei showed a quadratic relationship with BDI scores in young adulthood, where both smaller and larger volume was associated with more depressive symptoms (Accessory basal nucleus: Adj R2=0.05. p(FDR)=0.015; Cortical nucleus: Adj R2=0.04, p(FDR)=0.015). CONCLUSIONS We conclude that exposure to stress during the first half of pregnancy might have long-term implications for amygdala anatomy, which may in turn predict the experience of depressive symptoms in young adulthood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Klara Mareckova
- Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Brain and Mind Research, Central European Institute of Technology, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic.
| | - Radek Marecek
- Brain and Mind Research, Central European Institute of Technology, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Lenka Andryskova
- RECETOX, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Milan Brazdil
- Brain and Mind Research, Central European Institute of Technology, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Yuliya S Nikolova
- Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
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12
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Mareckova K, Miles A, Andryskova L, Brazdil M, Nikolova YS. Temporally and sex-specific effects of maternal perinatal stress on offspring cortical gyrification and mood in young adulthood. Hum Brain Mapp 2020; 41:4866-4875. [PMID: 33010202 PMCID: PMC7643354 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.25163] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2020] [Revised: 07/10/2020] [Accepted: 07/28/2020] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Maternal stress during pregnancy and shortly thereafter is associated with altered offspring brain development that may increase risk of mood and anxiety disorders. Cortical gyrification is established during the prenatal period and the first 2 years of life and is altered in psychiatric disorders. Here, we sought to characterize the effects of perinatal stress exposure on offspring gyrification patterns and mood dysregulation in young adulthood. Participants included 85 young adults (56.5% women; 23–24 years) from the European Longitudinal Study of Pregnancy and Childhood (ELSPAC) with perinatal stress data across four distinct timepoints and structural MRI data from young adulthood. Perinatal stress exposure was measured as maternal stress during first and second half of pregnancy, first 6 months, and 6–18 months after birth. Cortical gyrification and mood dysregulation were quantified using local gyrification index (LGI), computed with Freesurfer, and the Profile of Mood States questionnaire, respectively. Perinatal stress predicted cortical gyrification in young adulthood, and its timing influenced location, direction, and sex‐specificity of effects. In particular, whereas early prenatal stress was associated with sex‐dependent medium‐to‐large effects in large temporal, parietal, and occipital regions (f2 = 0.19–0.38, p < .001), later perinatal stress was associated with sex‐independent small‐to‐medium effects in smaller, more anterior regions (f2 = 0.10–0.19, p < .003). Moreover, in females, early prenatal stress predicted higher LGI in a large temporal region, which was further associated with mood disturbance in adulthood (r = 0.399, p = .006). These findings point out the long‐term implications of perinatal stress exposure for cortical morphology and mood dysregulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Klara Mareckova
- Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Canada.,Brain and Mind Research, Central European Institute of Technology, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Amy Miles
- Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Canada
| | - Lenka Andryskova
- RECETOX, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Milan Brazdil
- Brain and Mind Research, Central European Institute of Technology, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Yuliya S Nikolova
- Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Canada.,Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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