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Muniz Carvalho C, Wendt FR, Pathak GA, Maihofer AX, Stein DJ, Sumner JA, Hemmings SM, Nievergelt CM, Koenen KC, Gelernter J, Belangero SI, Polimanti R. Disentangling sex differences in the shared genetic architecture of posttraumatic stress disorder, traumatic experiences, and social support with body size and composition. Neurobiol Stress 2021; 15:100400. [PMID: 34611531 PMCID: PMC8477211 DOI: 10.1016/j.ynstr.2021.100400] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2021] [Revised: 09/04/2021] [Accepted: 09/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/03/2022] Open
Abstract
There is a well-known association of traumatic experiences and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) with body size and composition, including consistent differences between sexes. However, the biology underlying these associations is unclear. To understand the genetic underpinnings of this complex relationship, we investigated genome-wide datasets informative of African and European ancestries from the Psychiatric Genomic Consortium, the UK Biobank, the GIANT Consortium, and the Million Veteran Program. We used genome-wide association statistics to estimate sex-specific genetic correlations (r g ) of traumatic experiences, social support, and PTSD with multiple anthropometric traits. After multiple testing corrections (false discovery rate, FDR q < 0.05), we observed 58 significant r g relationships in females (e.g., childhood physical abuse and body mass index, BMI r g = 0.245, p = 3.88 × 10-10) and 21 significant r g relationships in males (e.g., been involved in combat or exposed to warzone and leg fat percentage; r g = 0.405, p = 4.42 × 10-10). We performed causal inference analyses of these genetic overlaps using Mendelian randomization and latent causal variable approaches. Multiple female-specific putative causal relationships were observed linking body composition/size with PTSD (e.g., leg fat percentage→PTSD; beta = 0.319, p = 3.13 × 10-9), traumatic experiences (e.g., childhood physical abuse→waist circumference; beta = 0.055, p = 5.07 × 10-4), and childhood neglect (e.g., "someone to take you to doctor when needed as a child"→BMI; beta = -0.594, p = 1.09 × 10-5). In males, we observed putative causal effects linking anthropometric-trait genetic liabilities to traumatic experiences (e.g., BMI→childhood physical abuse; beta = 0.028, p = 8.19 × 10-3). Some of these findings were replicated in individuals of African descent although the limited sample size available did not permit us to conduct a sex-stratified analysis in this ancestry group. In conclusion, our findings provide insights regarding sex-specific causal networks linking anthropometric traits to PTSD, traumatic experiences, and social support.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolina Muniz Carvalho
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine and VA CT Healthcare Center, West Haven, CT, 06516, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP), São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Frank R. Wendt
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine and VA CT Healthcare Center, West Haven, CT, 06516, USA
| | - Gita A. Pathak
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine and VA CT Healthcare Center, West Haven, CT, 06516, USA
| | - Adam X. Maihofer
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Center of Excellence for Stress and Mental Health, Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Dan J. Stein
- MRC Unit on Risk & Resilience in Mental Disorders, Department of Psychiatry and Neuroscience Institute, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Jennifer A. Sumner
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Sian M.J. Hemmings
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Caroline M. Nievergelt
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Center of Excellence for Stress and Mental Health, Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Karestan C. Koenen
- Department of Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Joel Gelernter
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine and VA CT Healthcare Center, West Haven, CT, 06516, USA
- Departments of Genetics and Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06510, USA
| | - Sintia I. Belangero
- Department of Psychiatry, Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP), São Paulo, SP, Brazil
- Genetics Division, Department of Morphology and Genetics, Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP), São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Renato Polimanti
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine and VA CT Healthcare Center, West Haven, CT, 06516, USA
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Hwang WJ, Lee TY, Kim NS, Kwon JS. The Role of Estrogen Receptors and Their Signaling across Psychiatric Disorders. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 22:ijms22010373. [PMID: 33396472 PMCID: PMC7794990 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22010373] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2020] [Revised: 12/25/2020] [Accepted: 12/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Increasing evidence suggests estrogen and estrogen signaling pathway disturbances across psychiatric disorders. Estrogens are not only crucial in sexual maturation and reproduction but are also highly involved in a wide range of brain functions, such as cognition, memory, neurodevelopment, and neuroplasticity. To add more, the recent findings of its neuroprotective and anti-inflammatory effects have grown interested in investigating its potential therapeutic use to psychiatric disorders. In this review, we analyze the emerging literature on estrogen receptors and psychiatric disorders in cellular, preclinical, and clinical studies. Specifically, we discuss the contribution of estrogen receptor and estrogen signaling to cognition and neuroprotection via mediating multiple neural systems, such as dopaminergic, serotonergic, and glutamatergic systems. Then, we assess their disruptions and their potential implications for pathophysiologies in psychiatric disorders. Further, in this review, current treatment strategies involving estrogen and estrogen signaling are evaluated to suggest a future direction in identifying novel treatment strategies in psychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wu Jeong Hwang
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, College of Natural Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Korea; (W.J.H.); (J.S.K.)
| | - Tae Young Lee
- Department of Psychiatry, Pusan National University Yangsan Hospital, Yangsan 50612, Korea;
- Research Institute for Convergence of Biomedical Science and Technology, Pusan National University Yangsan Hospital, Yangsan 50612, Korea
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +82-55-360-2468
| | - Nahrie Suk Kim
- Department of Psychiatry, Pusan National University Yangsan Hospital, Yangsan 50612, Korea;
| | - Jun Soo Kwon
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, College of Natural Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Korea; (W.J.H.); (J.S.K.)
- Department of Psychiatry, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul 03080, Korea
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