1
|
Lemvigh C, Brouwer R, Hilker R, Anhøj S, Baandrup L, Pantelis C, Glenthøj B, Fagerlund B. The relative and interactive impact of multiple risk factors in schizophrenia spectrum disorders: a combined register-based and clinical twin study. Psychol Med 2023; 53:1266-1276. [PMID: 35822354 DOI: 10.1017/s0033291721002749] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Research has yielded evidence for genetic and environmental factors influencing the risk of schizophrenia. Numerous environmental factors have been identified; however, the individual effects are small. The additive and interactive effects of multiple risk factors are not well elucidated. Twin pairs discordant for schizophrenia offer a unique opportunity to identify factors that differ between patients and unaffected co-twins, who are perfectly matched for age, sex and genetic background. METHODS Register data were combined with clinical data for 216 twins including monozygotic (MZ) and dizygotic (DZ) proband pairs (one or both twins having a schizophrenia spectrum diagnosis) and MZ/DZ healthy control (HC) pairs. Logistic regression models were applied to predict (1) illness vulnerability (being a proband v. HC pair) and (2) illness status (being the patient v. unaffected co-twin). Risk factors included: A polygenic risk score (PRS) for schizophrenia, birth complications, birth weight, Apgar scores, paternal age, maternal smoking, season of birth, parental socioeconomic status, urbanicity, childhood trauma, estimated premorbid intelligence and cannabis. RESULTS The PRS [odds ratio (OR) 1.6 (1.1-2.3)], childhood trauma [OR 4.5 (2.3-8.8)], and regular cannabis use [OR 8.3 (2.1-32.7)] independently predicted illness vulnerability as did an interaction between childhood trauma and cannabis use [OR 0.17 (0.03-0.9)]. Only regular cannabis use predicted having a schizophrenia spectrum diagnosis between patients and unaffected co-twins [OR 3.3 (1.1-10.4)]. CONCLUSION The findings suggest that several risk factors contribute to increasing schizophrenia spectrum vulnerability. Moreover, cannabis, a potentially completely avoidable environmental risk factor, seems to play a substantial role in schizophrenia pathology.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- C Lemvigh
- Center for Clinical Intervention and Neuropsychiatric Schizophrenia Research (CINS) and Center for Neuropsychiatric Schizophrenia Research (CNSR), Mental Health Center Glostrup, Glostrup, Denmark
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - R Brouwer
- Department of Psychiatry, UMC Brain Center, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - R Hilker
- Center for Clinical Intervention and Neuropsychiatric Schizophrenia Research (CINS) and Center for Neuropsychiatric Schizophrenia Research (CNSR), Mental Health Center Glostrup, Glostrup, Denmark
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - S Anhøj
- Center for Clinical Intervention and Neuropsychiatric Schizophrenia Research (CINS) and Center for Neuropsychiatric Schizophrenia Research (CNSR), Mental Health Center Glostrup, Glostrup, Denmark
| | - L Baandrup
- Center for Clinical Intervention and Neuropsychiatric Schizophrenia Research (CINS) and Center for Neuropsychiatric Schizophrenia Research (CNSR), Mental Health Center Glostrup, Glostrup, Denmark
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Mental Health Center Copenhagen, Copenhagen NV, Denmark
| | - C Pantelis
- Center for Clinical Intervention and Neuropsychiatric Schizophrenia Research (CINS) and Center for Neuropsychiatric Schizophrenia Research (CNSR), Mental Health Center Glostrup, Glostrup, Denmark
- Department of Psychiatry, Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, University of Melbourne and Melbourne Health, Carlton South, Victoria, Australia
| | - B Glenthøj
- Center for Clinical Intervention and Neuropsychiatric Schizophrenia Research (CINS) and Center for Neuropsychiatric Schizophrenia Research (CNSR), Mental Health Center Glostrup, Glostrup, Denmark
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - B Fagerlund
- Center for Clinical Intervention and Neuropsychiatric Schizophrenia Research (CINS) and Center for Neuropsychiatric Schizophrenia Research (CNSR), Mental Health Center Glostrup, Glostrup, Denmark
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Pepper EJ, Pathmanathan S, McIlrae S, Rehman FU, Cardno AG. Associations between risk factors for schizophrenia and concordance in four monozygotic twin samples. Am J Med Genet B Neuropsychiatr Genet 2018; 177:503-510. [PMID: 30134083 DOI: 10.1002/ajmg.b.32640] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2018] [Revised: 04/18/2018] [Accepted: 04/20/2018] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Concordance for schizophrenia is high in monozygotic twins but the extent to which concordance varies according to the presence of other schizophrenia risk factors is not well established. We aimed to investigate this in systematically ascertained twin samples. DSM-III-R/DSM-IV diagnoses were made from original data or published case histories from four systematically ascertained monozygotic twin samples. Probandwise concordance for schizophrenia was calculated according to the presence of psychotic disorder in first-degree relatives, birth order, gender, and age-at-onset. Logistic regression analysis was also performed to adjust for potential confounders. Psychotic disorder in parents and earlier age-at-onset were significantly associated with higher probandwise concordance for schizophrenia, including after adjustment for potential confounders. For example, when no parents had a psychotic disorder concordance was 34/88 (38.6%) versus 10/16 (62.5%) when one parent was affected; and for age-at-onset <23 years concordance was 25/46 (54.3%), declining to 13/44 (29.5%) for age-at-onset >30 years. These results are consistent with psychotic disorder in parents and age-at-onset being markers of the level of familial liability to schizophrenia and these factors may be useful in genetic counseling of monozygotic twins and in identifying and managing those at particularly high risk, if these findings are further replicated.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Edward J Pepper
- Division of Psychiatry and Behavioural Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Leeds Institute of Health Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom
| | - Sasi Pathmanathan
- Division of Psychiatry and Behavioural Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Leeds Institute of Health Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom
| | - Shona McIlrae
- Division of Psychiatry and Behavioural Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Leeds Institute of Health Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom
| | - Faiz-Ur Rehman
- Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust, Preston, United Kingdom
| | - Alastair G Cardno
- Division of Psychiatry and Behavioural Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Leeds Institute of Health Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Solmi F, Hayes JF, Lewis G, Kirkbride JB. Curiosity killed the cat: no evidence of an association between cat ownership and psychotic symptoms at ages 13 and 18 years in a UK general population cohort. Psychol Med 2017; 47:1659-1667. [PMID: 28222824 PMCID: PMC5939988 DOI: 10.1017/s0033291717000125] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2016] [Revised: 01/04/2017] [Accepted: 01/06/2017] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Congenital or early life infection with Toxoplasma gondii has been implicated in schizophrenia aetiology. Childhood cat ownership has been hypothesized as an intermediary marker of T. gondii infection and, by proxy, as a risk factor for later psychosis. Evidence supporting this hypothesis is, however, limited. METHOD We used birth cohort data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) to investigate whether cat ownership in pregnancy and childhood (ages 4 and 10 years) was associated with psychotic experiences (PEs) in early (age 13, N = 6705) and late (age 18, N = 4676) adolescence, rated from semi-structured interviews. We used logistic regression to examine associations between cat ownership and PEs, adjusting for several sociodemographic and socioeconomic factors, household characteristics and dog ownership. Missing data were handled via multiple imputation. RESULTS Cat ownership during pregnancy was not associated with PEs at age 13 years [adjusted odds ratio (OR) 1.15, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.97-1.35] or 18 years (OR 1.08, 95% CI 0.86-1.35). Initial univariable evidence that cat ownership at ages 4 and 10 years was associated with PEs at age 13 years did not persist after multivariable adjustment (4 years: OR 1.18, 95% CI 0.94-1.48; 10 years: OR 1.12, 95% CI 0.92-1.36). There was no evidence that childhood cat ownership was associated with PEs at age 18 years. CONCLUSIONS While pregnant women should continue to avoid handling soiled cat litter, given possible T. gondii exposure, our study strongly indicates that cat ownership in pregnancy or early childhood does not confer an increased risk of later adolescent PEs.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- F. Solmi
- Division of Psychiatry, University College
London, London, UK
| | - J. F. Hayes
- Division of Psychiatry, University College
London, London, UK
| | - G. Lewis
- Division of Psychiatry, University College
London, London, UK
| | - J. B. Kirkbride
- Division of Psychiatry, University College
London, London, UK
| |
Collapse
|