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Almodóvar-Payá C, Guardiola-Ripoll M, Giralt-López M, Oscoz-Irurozqui M, Canales-Rodríguez EJ, Madre M, Soler-Vidal J, Ramiro N, Callado LF, Arias B, Gallego C, Pomarol-Clotet E, Fatjó-Vilas M. NRN1 epistasis with BDNF and CACNA1C: mediation effects on symptom severity through neuroanatomical changes in schizophrenia. Brain Struct Funct 2024; 229:1299-1315. [PMID: 38720004 PMCID: PMC11147852 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-024-02793-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2023] [Accepted: 03/19/2024] [Indexed: 06/05/2024]
Abstract
The expression of Neuritin-1 (NRN1), a neurotrophic factor crucial for neurodevelopment and synaptic plasticity, is enhanced by the Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF). Although the receptor of NRN1 remains unclear, it is suggested that NRN1's activation of the insulin receptor (IR) pathway promotes the transcription of the calcium voltage-gated channel subunit alpha1 C (CACNA1C). These three genes have been independently associated with schizophrenia (SZ) risk, symptomatology, and brain differences. However, research on how they synergistically modulate these phenotypes is scarce. We aimed to study whether the genetic epistasis between these genes affects the risk and clinical presentation of the disorder via its effect on brain structure. First, we tested the epistatic effect of NRN1 and BDNF or CACNA1C on (i) the risk for SZ, (ii) clinical symptoms severity and functionality (onset, PANSS, CGI and GAF), and (iii) brain cortical structure (thickness, surface area and volume measures estimated using FreeSurfer) in a sample of 86 SZ patients and 89 healthy subjects. Second, we explored whether those brain clusters influenced by epistatic effects mediate the clinical profiles. Although we did not find a direct epistatic impact on the risk, our data unveiled significant effects on the disorder's clinical presentation. Specifically, the NRN1-rs10484320 x BDNF-rs6265 interplay influenced PANSS general psychopathology, and the NRN1-rs4960155 x CACNA1C-rs1006737 interaction affected GAF scores. Moreover, several interactions between NRN1 SNPs and BDNF-rs6265 significantly influenced the surface area and cortical volume of the frontal, parietal, and temporal brain regions within patients. The NRN1-rs10484320 x BDNF-rs6265 epistasis in the left lateral orbitofrontal cortex fully mediated the effect on PANSS general psychopathology. Our study not only adds clinical significance to the well-described molecular relationship between NRN1 and BDNF but also underscores the utility of deconstructing SZ into biologically validated brain-imaging markers to explore their mediation role in the path from genetics to complex clinical manifestation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carmen Almodóvar-Payá
- FIDMAG Germanes Hospitalàries Research Foundation, Barcelona, Spain
- Departament de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències Ambientals, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- CIBERSAM (Biomedical Research Network in Mental Health), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Maria Guardiola-Ripoll
- FIDMAG Germanes Hospitalàries Research Foundation, Barcelona, Spain
- CIBERER (Biomedical Research Network in Rare Diseases), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Maria Giralt-López
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Germans Trias i Pujol University Hospital (HUGTP), Barcelona, Spain
- Department of Psychiatry and Legal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Maitane Oscoz-Irurozqui
- FIDMAG Germanes Hospitalàries Research Foundation, Barcelona, Spain
- Red de Salud Mental de Gipuzkoa, Osakidetza-Basque Health Service, Gipuzkoa, Spain
| | - Erick Jorge Canales-Rodríguez
- FIDMAG Germanes Hospitalàries Research Foundation, Barcelona, Spain
- CIBERSAM (Biomedical Research Network in Mental Health), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
- Signal Processing Laboratory (LTS5), École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Mercè Madre
- FIDMAG Germanes Hospitalàries Research Foundation, Barcelona, Spain
- Mental Health, IR SANT PAU, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Universitat Autònoma Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Joan Soler-Vidal
- FIDMAG Germanes Hospitalàries Research Foundation, Barcelona, Spain
- CIBERSAM (Biomedical Research Network in Mental Health), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
- Hospital Benito Menni, Germanes Hospitalàries, Sant Boi de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Núria Ramiro
- Hospital San Rafael, Germanes Hospitalàries, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Luis F Callado
- CIBERSAM (Biomedical Research Network in Mental Health), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
- Department of Pharmacology, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Bizkaia, Spain
- BioBizkaia Health Research Institute, Bizkaia, Spain
| | - Bárbara Arias
- Departament de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències Ambientals, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- CIBERSAM (Biomedical Research Network in Mental Health), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
- Institut de Biomedicina de la Universitat de Barcelona (IBUB), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Carme Gallego
- Department of Cells and Tissues, Molecular Biology Institute of Barcelona (IBMB-CSIC), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Edith Pomarol-Clotet
- FIDMAG Germanes Hospitalàries Research Foundation, Barcelona, Spain
- CIBERSAM (Biomedical Research Network in Mental Health), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Mar Fatjó-Vilas
- FIDMAG Germanes Hospitalàries Research Foundation, Barcelona, Spain.
- Departament de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències Ambientals, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
- CIBERSAM (Biomedical Research Network in Mental Health), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain.
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Ciampa CJ, Parent JH, Lapoint MR, Swinnerton KN, Taylor MM, Tennant VR, Whitman AJ, Jagust WJ, Berry AS. Elevated Dopamine Synthesis as a Mechanism of Cognitive Resilience in Aging. Cereb Cortex 2021; 32:2762-2772. [PMID: 34718454 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhab379] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2021] [Revised: 09/20/2021] [Accepted: 09/21/2021] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Aging is associated with declines in multiple components of the dopamine system including loss of dopamine-producing neurons, atrophy of the dopamine system's cortical targets, and reductions in the density of dopamine receptors. Countering these patterns, dopamine synthesis appears to be stable or elevated in older age. We tested the hypothesis that elevation in dopamine synthesis in aging reflects a compensatory response to neuronal loss rather than a nonspecific monotonic shift in older age. We measured individual differences in striatal dopamine synthesis capacity in cognitively normal older adults using [18F]Fluoro-l-m-tyrosine positron emission tomography cross-sectionally and tested relationships with longitudinal reductions in cortical thickness and working memory decline beginning up to 13 years earlier. Consistent with a compensation account, older adults with the highest dopamine synthesis capacity were those with greatest atrophy in posterior parietal cortex. Elevated dopamine synthesis capacity was not associated with successful maintenance of working memory performance overall, but had a moderating effect such that higher levels of dopamine synthesis capacity reduced the impact of atrophy on cognitive decline. Together, these findings support a model by which upregulation of dopamine synthesis represents a mechanism of cognitive resilience in aging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claire J Ciampa
- Department of Psychology, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA 02453, USA
| | - Jourdan H Parent
- Department of Psychology, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA 02453, USA
| | - Molly R Lapoint
- Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Kaitlin N Swinnerton
- Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Morgan M Taylor
- Department of Psychology, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA 02453, USA
| | - Victoria R Tennant
- Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - A J Whitman
- Molecular Biophysics and Integrated Bioimaging, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - William J Jagust
- Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.,Molecular Biophysics and Integrated Bioimaging, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Anne S Berry
- Department of Psychology, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA 02453, USA
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3
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Aarsland D, Batzu L, Halliday GM, Geurtsen GJ, Ballard C, Ray Chaudhuri K, Weintraub D. Parkinson disease-associated cognitive impairment. Nat Rev Dis Primers 2021; 7:47. [PMID: 34210995 DOI: 10.1038/s41572-021-00280-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 412] [Impact Index Per Article: 137.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/27/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Parkinson disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder, affecting >1% of the population ≥65 years of age and with a prevalence set to double by 2030. In addition to the defining motor symptoms of PD, multiple non-motor symptoms occur; among them, cognitive impairment is common and can potentially occur at any disease stage. Cognitive decline is usually slow and insidious, but rapid in some cases. Recently, the focus has been on the early cognitive changes, where executive and visuospatial impairments are typical and can be accompanied by memory impairment, increasing the risk for early progression to dementia. Other risk factors for early progression to dementia include visual hallucinations, older age and biomarker changes such as cortical atrophy, as well as Alzheimer-type changes on functional imaging and in cerebrospinal fluid, and slowing and frequency variation on EEG. However, the mechanisms underlying cognitive decline in PD remain largely unclear. Cortical involvement of Lewy body and Alzheimer-type pathologies are key features, but multiple mechanisms are likely involved. Cholinesterase inhibition is the only high-level evidence-based treatment available, but other pharmacological and non-pharmacological strategies are being tested. Challenges include the identification of disease-modifying therapies as well as finding biomarkers to better predict cognitive decline and identify patients at high risk for early and rapid cognitive impairment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dag Aarsland
- Department of Old Age Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK. .,Centre for Age-Related Medicine, Stavanger University Hospital, Stavanger, Norway.
| | - Lucia Batzu
- Parkinson's Foundation Centre of Excellence, King's College Hospital and Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Glenda M Halliday
- Brain and Mind Centre and Faculty of Medicine and Health School of Medical Sciences, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Gert J Geurtsen
- Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Department of Medical Psychology, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | | | - K Ray Chaudhuri
- Parkinson's Foundation Centre of Excellence, King's College Hospital and Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Daniel Weintraub
- Departments of Psychiatry and Neurology, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.,Parkinson's Disease Research, Education and Clinical Center (PADRECC), Corporal Michael J. Crescenz Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA, USA
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Miranda GG, Rodrigue KM, Kennedy KM. Cortical thickness mediates the relationship between DRD2 C957T polymorphism and executive function across the adult lifespan. Brain Struct Funct 2021; 226:121-136. [PMID: 33179159 PMCID: PMC7855542 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-020-02169-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2020] [Accepted: 10/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Dopamine (DA) signaling is critical for optimal cognitive performance. Aging is accompanied by a change in the strength of this signaling, with a loss of striatal and extrastriatal D2 binding potential. The reduction in dopamine modulation with age negatively influences various aspects of cognition. DRD2 C957T (rs6277) impacts DA D2 receptor density and availability, with C homozygotes linked to lower striatal DA availability and reduced executive functioning (EF), but also high extrastriatal binding potential. Here, we investigated in 176 participants aged 20-94 years whether: (1) DRD2 C carriers differ from T carriers in cortical thickness or subcortical volume in areas of high concentrations of D2 receptors that receive projections from mesocortical or nigrostriatal dopaminergic pathways; (2) whether the DRD2*COMT relationship has any synergistic effects on cortical thickness; (3) whether the effect of DRD2 on brain structure depends upon age; and (4) whether DRD2-related regional thinning affects executive function performance. We show that DRD2 impacts cortical thickness in the superior parietal lobule, precuneus, and anterior cingulate (marginal after FDR correction), while statistically controlling sex, age, and COMT genotype. Specifically, C homozygotes demonstrated thinner cortices than both heterozygotes and/or T homozygotes in an age-invariant manner. Additionally, DRD2 predicted executive function performance via cortical thickness. The results highlight that genetic influences on dopamine availability impact cognitive performance via the contribution of brain structure in cortical regions influenced by DRD2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giuseppe G Miranda
- Center for Vital Longevity, School of Behavioral and Brain Science, The University of Texas At Dallas, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Karen M Rodrigue
- Center for Vital Longevity, School of Behavioral and Brain Science, The University of Texas At Dallas, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Kristen M Kennedy
- Center for Vital Longevity, School of Behavioral and Brain Science, The University of Texas At Dallas, Dallas, TX, USA.
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Dean B, Parkin GM, Gibbons AS. Associations between catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) genotypes at rs4818 and rs4680 and gene expression in human dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. Exp Brain Res 2020; 238:477-486. [DOI: 10.1007/s00221-020-05730-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2019] [Accepted: 01/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
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Khanthiyong B, Thanoi S, Reynolds GP, Nudmamud-Thanoi S. Association study of the functional Catechol-O-Methyltranferase (COMT) Val 158Met polymorphism on executive cognitive function in a Thai sample. Int J Med Sci 2019; 16:1461-1465. [PMID: 31673237 PMCID: PMC6818203 DOI: 10.7150/ijms.35789] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2019] [Accepted: 08/16/2019] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Catechol-O-Methyltranferase (COMT) plays a crucial role in the removal of cortical dopamine and is strongly implicated in human executive function. Numerous studies have reported associations of the COMT Val158Met (rs4680) polymorphism with executive function in healthy subjects. However, little work has investigated this in the Thai population and the relationship of age and education with this association remains unclear. Therefore, this study was designed to investigate the association of this polymorphism of the COMT gene with executive cognitive brain function in healthy subjects and the relationship with age and education. The Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) was performed to assess executive function in 254 healthy Thai subjects (aged 20-72 years). The results showed a significant association of rs4680 with executive function, in which Val/Met heterozygotes demonstrated better cognitive set shifting performance. Moreover, Met allele carriers showed a significantly stronger effect in the categories completed score than did Val homozygotes. Furthermore, age and education also showed a significant association with COMT genotype and WCST. These results revealed that executive cognitive function is associated with COMT genotype and influenced by age and/or education level in a Thai sample.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bupachad Khanthiyong
- Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medical Science, Naresuan University, Phitsanulok, Thailand.,Centre of Excellence in Medical Biotechnology, Faculty of Medical Science, Naresuan University, Phitsanulok, Thailand
| | - Samur Thanoi
- Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medical Science, Naresuan University, Phitsanulok, Thailand.,Centre of Excellence in Medical Biotechnology, Faculty of Medical Science, Naresuan University, Phitsanulok, Thailand
| | - Gavin P Reynolds
- Centre of Excellence in Medical Biotechnology, Faculty of Medical Science, Naresuan University, Phitsanulok, Thailand.,Biomolecular Sciences Research Centre, Sheffield Hallam University, Sheffield, United Kingdom
| | - Sutisa Nudmamud-Thanoi
- Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medical Science, Naresuan University, Phitsanulok, Thailand.,Centre of Excellence in Medical Biotechnology, Faculty of Medical Science, Naresuan University, Phitsanulok, Thailand
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