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Tu PC, Chang WC, Kuan YH, Chen MH, Su TP. Association between cortical thickness or surface area and divergent thinking in patients with bipolar disorder. Acta Neuropsychiatr 2024:1-8. [PMID: 38623725 DOI: 10.1017/neu.2024.17] [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] [Indexed: 04/17/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Divergent thinking is a critical creative cognitive process. Its neural mechanisms have been well-studied through structural and functional imaging in healthy individuals but are less explored in patients with bipolar disorder (BD). Because of the traditional link between creativity and BD, this study investigated the structural correlates of divergent thinking in patients with BD through surface-based morphometry. METHODS Fifty-nine patients diagnosed with BD I or BD II (35.3 ± 8.5 years) and 56 age- and sex-matched controls (33.9 ± 7.4 years) were recruited. The participants underwent structural magnetic resonance imaging and an evaluation of divergent thinking by using the Chinese version of the Abbreviated Torrance Test for Adults (ATTA). FreeSurfer 7.0 was used to generate thickness and surface area maps for each participant. Brainwise regression of the association between cortical thickness or surface area and ATTA performance was conducted using general linear models. RESULTS Divergent thinking performance did not differ significantly between the patients with BD and the healthy controls. In these patients, total ATTA score was negatively correlated with cortical thickness in the right middle frontal gyrus, right occipital, and left precuneus but positively correlated with the surface area of the right superior frontal gyrus. By contrast, total ATTA scores and cortical thickness or surface area were not significantly correlated among the controls. CONCLUSION The findings indicate that divergent thinking involves cerebral structures for executive control, mental imagery, and visual processing in patients with BD, and the right prefrontal cortex might be the most crucial of these structures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pei-Chi Tu
- Department of Medical Research, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
- Department of Psychiatry, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, National Yang-Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei, Taiwan
- Institute of Philosophy of Mind and Cognition, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Wan-Chen Chang
- Department of Medical Research, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
- Department of Psychiatry, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Yi-Hsuan Kuan
- Institute of Brain Science, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Mu-Hong Chen
- Department of Psychiatry, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, National Yang-Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei, Taiwan
- Institute of Brain Science, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Tung-Ping Su
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, National Yang-Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei, Taiwan
- Institute of Brain Science, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei, Taiwan
- Department of Psychiatry, Cheng-Hsin General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
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Cattarinussi G, Pouya P, Grimaldi DA, Dini MZ, Sambataro F, Brambilla P, Delvecchio G. Cortical alterations in relatives of patients with bipolar disorder: A review of magnetic resonance imaging studies. J Affect Disord 2024; 345:234-243. [PMID: 37865341 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2023.10.097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2023] [Revised: 09/11/2023] [Accepted: 10/15/2023] [Indexed: 10/23/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Bipolar disorder (BD) is a severe mental disorder characterized by high heritability rates. Widespread brain cortical alterations have been reported in BD patients, mostly involving the frontal, temporal and parietal regions. Importantly, also unaffected relatives of BD patients (BD-RELs) present abnormalities in cortical measures, which are not influenced by disease-related factors, such as medication use and illness duration. Here, we collected all available evidence on cortical measures in BD-RELs to further our knowledge on the potential cortical alterations associated with the vulnerability and the resilience to BD. METHODS A search on PubMed, Web of Science and Scopus was performed to identify neuroimaging studies exploring cortical alterations in BD-RELs, including cortical thickness (CT), surface area (SA), gyrification (GI) and cortical complexity. Eleven studies were included. Of these, five assessed CT, five examined CT and SA and one explored CT, SA and GI. RESULTS Overall, a heterogeneous pattern of cortical alterations emerged. The areas more consistently linked with genetic liability for BD were the prefrontal and sensorimotor regions. Mixed evidence was reported in the temporal and cingulate areas. LIMITATIONS The small sample size and the heterogeneity in terms of methodologies and the characteristics of the participants limit the generalizability of our results. CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that the genetic liability for BD is related to reduced CT in the prefrontal cortex, which might be a marker of risk for BD, and increased CT within the sensorimotor cortex, which could represent a marker of resilience.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giulia Cattarinussi
- Department of Neuroscience (DNS), Padua Neuroscience Center, University of Padova, Padua, Italy; Padua Neuroscience Center, University of Padova, Padua, Italy
| | - Parnia Pouya
- Research Center for Evidence-Based Medicine, Health Management and Safety Promotion Research Institute, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran; Iranian EBM Center: A Joanna Briggs Institute Affiliated Group, Iran; Student Research Committee, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
| | | | - Mahta Zare Dini
- Research Center for Evidence-Based Medicine, Health Management and Safety Promotion Research Institute, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran; Iranian EBM Center: A Joanna Briggs Institute Affiliated Group, Iran; Student Research Committee, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Fabio Sambataro
- Department of Neuroscience (DNS), Padua Neuroscience Center, University of Padova, Padua, Italy; Padua Neuroscience Center, University of Padova, Padua, Italy
| | - Paolo Brambilla
- Department of Neurosciences and Mental Health, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy; Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Delvecchio
- Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation, University of Milan, Milan, Italy.
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Cattarinussi G, Gugliotta AA, Sambataro F. The Risk for Schizophrenia-Bipolar Spectrum: Does the Apple Fall Close to the Tree? A Narrative Review. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2023; 20:6540. [PMID: 37569080 PMCID: PMC10418911 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20156540] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2023] [Revised: 07/24/2023] [Accepted: 08/04/2023] [Indexed: 08/13/2023]
Abstract
Schizophrenia (SCZ) and bipolar disorder (BD) are severe psychiatric disorders that share clinical features and several risk genes. Important information about their genetic underpinnings arises from intermediate phenotypes (IPs), quantifiable biological traits that are more prevalent in unaffected relatives (RELs) of patients compared to the general population and co-segregate with the disorders. Within IPs, neuropsychological functions and neuroimaging measures have the potential to provide useful insight into the pathophysiology of SCZ and BD. In this context, the present narrative review provides a comprehensive overview of the available evidence on deficits in neuropsychological functions and neuroimaging alterations in unaffected relatives of SCZ (SCZ-RELs) and BD (BD-RELs). Overall, deficits in cognitive functions including intelligence, memory, attention, executive functions, and social cognition could be considered IPs for SCZ. Although the picture for cognitive alterations in BD-RELs is less defined, BD-RELs seem to present worse performances compared to controls in executive functioning, including adaptable thinking, planning, self-monitoring, self-control, and working memory. Among neuroimaging markers, SCZ-RELs appear to be characterized by structural and functional alterations in the cortico-striatal-thalamic network, while BD risk seems to be associated with abnormalities in the prefrontal, temporal, thalamic, and limbic regions. In conclusion, SCZ-RELs and BD-RELs present a pattern of cognitive and neuroimaging alterations that lie between patients and healthy individuals. Similar abnormalities in SCZ-RELs and BD-RELs may be the phenotypic expression of the shared genetic mechanisms underlying both disorders, while the specificities in neuropsychological and neuroimaging profiles may be associated with the differential symptom expression in the two disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giulia Cattarinussi
- Department of Neuroscience (DNS), University of Padova, 35131 Padova, Italy; (G.C.); (A.A.G.)
- Padova Neuroscience Center, University of Padova, 35131 Padova, Italy
| | - Alessio A. Gugliotta
- Department of Neuroscience (DNS), University of Padova, 35131 Padova, Italy; (G.C.); (A.A.G.)
| | - Fabio Sambataro
- Department of Neuroscience (DNS), University of Padova, 35131 Padova, Italy; (G.C.); (A.A.G.)
- Padova Neuroscience Center, University of Padova, 35131 Padova, Italy
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Van Rheenen TE, Cotton SM, Dandash O, Cooper RE, Ringin E, Daglas-Georgiou R, Allott K, Chye Y, Suo C, Macneil C, Hasty M, Hallam K, McGorry P, Fornito A, Yücel M, Pantelis C, Berk M. Increased cortical surface area but not altered cortical thickness or gyrification in bipolar disorder following stabilisation from a first episode of mania. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2023; 122:110687. [PMID: 36427550 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2022.110687] [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: 06/23/2022] [Revised: 11/08/2022] [Accepted: 11/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Despite reports of altered brain morphology in established bipolar disorder (BD), there is limited understanding of when these morphological abnormalities emerge. Assessment of patients during the early course of illness can help to address this gap, but few studies have examined surface-based brain morphology in patients at this illness stage. METHODS We completed a secondary analysis of baseline data from a randomised control trial of BD individuals stabilised after their first episode of mania (FEM). The magnetic resonance imaging scans of n = 35 FEM patients and n = 29 age-matched healthy controls were analysed. Group differences in cortical thickness, surface area and gyrification were assessed at each vertex of the cortical surface using general linear models. Significant results were identified at p < 0.05 using cluster-wise correction. RESULTS The FEM group did not differ from healthy controls with regards to cortical thickness or gyrification. However, there were two clusters of increased surface area in the left hemisphere of FEM patients, with peak coordinates falling within the lateral occipital cortex and pars triangularis. CONCLUSIONS Cortical thickness and gyrification appear to be intact in the aftermath of a first manic episode, whilst cortical surface area in the inferior/middle prefrontal and occipitoparietal cortex is increased compared to age-matched controls. It is possible that increased surface area in the FEM group is the outcome of abnormalities in a premorbidly occurring process. In contrast, the findings raise the hypothesis that cortical thickness reductions seen in past studies of individuals with more established BD may be more attributable to post-onset factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tamsyn E Van Rheenen
- Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, Department of Psychiatry, University of Melbourne and Melbourne Health, Melbourne, Australia; Centre for Mental Health, Faculty of Health, Arts and Design, School of Health Sciences, Swinburne University, Melbourne, Australia.
| | - Sue M Cotton
- Orygen, Parkville, VIC, Australia; Centre for Youth Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Orwa Dandash
- Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, Department of Psychiatry, University of Melbourne and Melbourne Health, Melbourne, Australia; Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, School of Psychological Sciences and Monash Biomedical Imaging Facility, Monash University, Australia
| | - Rebecca E Cooper
- Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, Department of Psychiatry, University of Melbourne and Melbourne Health, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Elysha Ringin
- Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, Department of Psychiatry, University of Melbourne and Melbourne Health, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Rothanthi Daglas-Georgiou
- Orygen, Parkville, VIC, Australia; Centre for Youth Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Kelly Allott
- Orygen, Parkville, VIC, Australia; Centre for Youth Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Yann Chye
- Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, School of Psychological Sciences and Monash Biomedical Imaging Facility, Monash University, Australia
| | - Chao Suo
- Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, School of Psychological Sciences and Monash Biomedical Imaging Facility, Monash University, Australia
| | - Craig Macneil
- Orygen Youth Health Clinical Program, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Melissa Hasty
- Orygen Youth Health Clinical Program, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Karen Hallam
- The Institute for Mental and Physical Health and Clinical Translation, Deakin University, Geelong, Australia
| | - Patrick McGorry
- Orygen, Parkville, VIC, Australia; Centre for Youth Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Alex Fornito
- Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, School of Psychological Sciences and Monash Biomedical Imaging Facility, Monash University, Australia
| | - Murat Yücel
- Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, School of Psychological Sciences and Monash Biomedical Imaging Facility, Monash University, Australia
| | - Christos Pantelis
- Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, Department of Psychiatry, University of Melbourne and Melbourne Health, Melbourne, Australia; Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Clayton, VIC, Australia
| | - Michael Berk
- Orygen, Parkville, VIC, Australia; Centre for Youth Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia; The Institute for Mental and Physical Health and Clinical Translation, Deakin University, Geelong, Australia; Barwon Health, PO Box 281, Geelong, Victoria, 3220, Australia
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Qin K, Sweeney JA, DelBello MP. The inferior frontal gyrus and familial risk for bipolar disorder. PSYCHORADIOLOGY 2022; 2:171-179. [PMID: 38665274 PMCID: PMC10917220 DOI: 10.1093/psyrad/kkac022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2022] [Revised: 11/29/2022] [Accepted: 11/30/2022] [Indexed: 04/28/2024]
Abstract
Bipolar disorder (BD) is a familial disorder with high heritability. Genetic factors have been linked to the pathogenesis of BD. Relatives of probands with BD who are at familial risk can exhibit brain abnormalities prior to illness onset. Given its involvement in prefrontal cognitive control and in frontolimbic circuitry that regulates emotional reactivity, the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) has been a focus of research in studies of BD-related pathology and BD-risk mechanism. In this review, we discuss multimodal neuroimaging findings of the IFG based on studies comparing at-risk relatives and low-risk controls. Review of these studies in at-risk cases suggests the presence of both risk and resilience markers related to the IFG. At-risk individuals exhibited larger gray matter volume and increased functional activities in IFG compared with low-risk controls, which might result from an adaptive brain compensation to support emotion regulation as an aspect of psychological resilience. Functional connectivity between IFG and downstream limbic or striatal areas was typically decreased in at-risk individuals relative to controls, which could contribute to risk-related problems of cognitive and emotional control. Large-scale and longitudinal investigations on at-risk individuals will further elucidate the role of IFG and other brain regions in relation to familial risk for BD, and together guide identification of at-risk individuals for primary prevention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kun Qin
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH 45219, USA
- Huaxi MR Research Center (HMRRC), Department of Radiology, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, China
| | - John A Sweeney
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH 45219, USA
- Huaxi MR Research Center (HMRRC), Department of Radiology, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, China
| | - Melissa P DelBello
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH 45219, USA
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Woo Y, Kang W, Kang Y, Kim A, Han KM, Tae WS, Ham BJ. Cortical Thickness and Surface Area Abnormalities in Bipolar I and II Disorders. Psychiatry Investig 2021; 18:850-863. [PMID: 34500506 PMCID: PMC8473857 DOI: 10.30773/pi.2021.0074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2021] [Accepted: 07/11/2021] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Although bipolar II disorder (BD II) is not simply a mitigated form of bipolar I disorder (BD I), their neurobiological differences have not been elucidated. The present study aimed to explore cortical thickness (CT) and surface area (SA) in patients with BD I and BD II and healthy controls (HCs) to investigate the shared and unique neurobiological mechanisms of BD subtypes. METHODS We enrolled 30 and 44 patients with BD I and BD II, respectively, and 100 HCs. We evaluated CT and SA using FreeSurfer and estimated differences in CT and SA among the three groups (BD I vs. BD II vs. HC). We adjusted for age, sex, educational level, and intracranial volume as confounding factors. RESULTS We found widespread cortical thinning in the bilateral frontal, temporal, and occipital regions; cingulate gyrus; and insula in patients with BD. Alterations in SA, including increased SA of the pars triangularis and decreased SA of the insula, were noted in patients with BD. Overall, we found BD II patients demonstrated decreased SA in the right long insula compared to BD I patients. CONCLUSION Our results suggest that decreased SA in the right long insula is crucial for differentiating BD subtypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yoonmi Woo
- Department of Psychiatry, Korea University Anam Hospital, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Wooyoung Kang
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Youbin Kang
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Aram Kim
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Kyu-Man Han
- Department of Psychiatry, Korea University Anam Hospital, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Woo-Suk Tae
- Brain Convergence Research Center, Korea University Anam Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Byung-Joo Ham
- Department of Psychiatry, Korea University Anam Hospital, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
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Guglielmo R, Miskowiak KW, Hasler G. Evaluating endophenotypes for bipolar disorder. Int J Bipolar Disord 2021; 9:17. [PMID: 34046710 PMCID: PMC8160068 DOI: 10.1186/s40345-021-00220-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2020] [Accepted: 02/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Phenotypic heterogeneity is a major impediment to the elucidation of the neurobiology and genetics of bipolar disorder. Endophenotype could help in reducing heterogeneity by defining biological traits that are more direct expressions of gene effects. The aim of this review is to examine the recent literature on clinical, epidemiological, neurobiological, and genetic findings and to select and evaluate candidate endophenotypes for bipolar disorder. Evaluating putative endophenotype could be helpful in better understanding the neurobiology of bipolar disorder by improving the definition of bipolar-related phenotypes in genetic studies. In this manner, research on endophenotypes could be useful to improve psychopathological diagnostics in the long-run by dissecting psychiatric macro phenotypes into biologically valid components. MAIN BODY The associations among the psychopathological and biological endophenotypes are discussed with respect to specificity, temporal stability, heritability, familiarity, and clinical and biological plausibility. Numerous findings regarding brain function, brain structure, neuropsychology and altered neurochemical pathways in patients with bipolar disorder and their relatives deserve further investigation. Overall, major findings suggest a developmental origin of this disorder as all the candidate endophenotypes that we have been able to select are present both in the early stages of the disorder as well as in subjects at risk. CONCLUSIONS Among the stronger candidate endophenotypes, we suggest circadian rhythm instability, dysmodulation of emotion and reward, altered neuroimmune state, attention and executive dysfunctions, anterior cingulate cortex thickness and early white matter abnormalities. In particular, early white matter abnormalities could be the result of a vulnerable brain on which new stressors are added in young adulthood which favours the onset of the disorder. Possible pathways that lead to a vulnerable brain are discussed starting from the data about molecular and imaging endophenotypes of bipolar disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Riccardo Guglielmo
- Psychiatry Research Unit, Fribourg Network for Mental Health (RFSM), University of Fribourg, Chemin du Cardinal-Journet 3, 1752, Villars-sur-Glâne, Switzerland.,Department of Neuroscience, Institute of Psychiatry, Catholic University Medical School, Largo Francesco Vito 1, 00168, Rome, Italy
| | - Kamilla Woznica Miskowiak
- Copenhagen Affective Disorder Research Centre (CADIC), Psychiatric Centre Copenhagen, Copenhagen University Hospital, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Gregor Hasler
- Psychiatry Research Unit, Fribourg Network for Mental Health (RFSM), University of Fribourg, Chemin du Cardinal-Journet 3, 1752, Villars-sur-Glâne, Switzerland.
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