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Wang B, Irizar H, Thygesen JH, Zartaloudi E, Austin-Zimmerman I, Bhat A, Harju-Seppänen J, Pain O, Bass N, Gkofa V, Alizadeh BZ, van Amelsvoort T, Arranz MJ, Bender S, Cahn W, Stella Calafato M, Crespo-Facorro B, Di Forti M, Giegling I, de Haan L, Hall J, Hall MH, van Haren N, Iyegbe C, Kahn RS, Kravariti E, Lawrie SM, Lin K, Luykx JJ, Mata I, McDonald C, McIntosh AM, Murray RM, Picchioni M, Powell J, Prata DP, Rujescu D, Rutten BPF, Shaikh M, Simons CJP, Toulopoulou T, Weisbrod M, van Winkel R, Kuchenbaecker K, McQuillin A, Bramon E. Psychosis Endophenotypes: A Gene-Set-Specific Polygenic Risk Score Analysis. Schizophr Bull 2023; 49:1625-1636. [PMID: 37582581 PMCID: PMC10686343 DOI: 10.1093/schbul/sbad088] [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] [Indexed: 08/17/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND HYPOTHESIS Endophenotypes can help to bridge the gap between psychosis and its genetic predispositions, but their underlying mechanisms remain largely unknown. This study aims to identify biological mechanisms that are relevant to the endophenotypes for psychosis, by partitioning polygenic risk scores into specific gene sets and testing their associations with endophenotypes. STUDY DESIGN We computed polygenic risk scores for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder restricted to brain-related gene sets retrieved from public databases and previous publications. Three hundred and seventy-eight gene-set-specific polygenic risk scores were generated for 4506 participants. Seven endophenotypes were also measured in the sample. Linear mixed-effects models were fitted to test associations between each endophenotype and each gene-set-specific polygenic risk score. STUDY RESULTS After correction for multiple testing, we found that a reduced P300 amplitude was associated with a higher schizophrenia polygenic risk score of the forebrain regionalization gene set (mean difference per SD increase in the polygenic risk score: -1.15 µV; 95% CI: -1.70 to -0.59 µV; P = 6 × 10-5). The schizophrenia polygenic risk score of forebrain regionalization also explained more variance of the P300 amplitude (R2 = 0.032) than other polygenic risk scores, including the genome-wide polygenic risk scores. CONCLUSIONS Our finding on reduced P300 amplitudes suggests that certain genetic variants alter early brain development thereby increasing schizophrenia risk years later. Gene-set-specific polygenic risk scores are a useful tool to elucidate biological mechanisms of psychosis and endophenotypes, offering leads for experimental validation in cellular and animal models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Baihan Wang
- Department of Mental Health Neuroscience, Division of Psychiatry, University College London, London, UK
- Nuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Haritz Irizar
- Department of Mental Health Neuroscience, Division of Psychiatry, University College London, London, UK
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Johan H Thygesen
- Department of Mental Health Neuroscience, Division of Psychiatry, University College London, London, UK
- Institute of Health Informatics, University College London, London, UK
| | - Eirini Zartaloudi
- Department of Mental Health Neuroscience, Division of Psychiatry, University College London, London, UK
| | - Isabelle Austin-Zimmerman
- Department of Mental Health Neuroscience, Division of Psychiatry, University College London, London, UK
- Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, UK
| | - Anjali Bhat
- Department of Mental Health Neuroscience, Division of Psychiatry, University College London, London, UK
| | - Jasmine Harju-Seppänen
- Department of Mental Health Neuroscience, Division of Psychiatry, University College London, London, UK
| | - Oliver Pain
- Department of Basic and Clinical Neuroscience, Maurice Wohl Clinical Neuroscience Institute, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, UK
| | - Nick Bass
- Department of Mental Health Neuroscience, Division of Psychiatry, University College London, London, UK
| | - Vasiliki Gkofa
- Department of Mental Health Neuroscience, Division of Psychiatry, University College London, London, UK
| | - Behrooz Z Alizadeh
- University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, University Center for Psychiatry, Rob Giel Research Center, Groningen, The Netherlands
- Department of Epidemiology, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Therese van Amelsvoort
- Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Maria J Arranz
- Fundació Docència i Recerca Mutua Terrassa, Terrassa, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Institut de Recerca Biomédica Sant Pau (IIB-Sant Pau), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Stephan Bender
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Wiepke Cahn
- Department of Psychiatry, Brain Centre Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
- Altrecht, General Mental Health Care, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Maria Stella Calafato
- Department of Mental Health Neuroscience, Division of Psychiatry, University College London, London, UK
| | - Benedicto Crespo-Facorro
- CIBERSAM, Centro Investigación Biomédica en Red Salud Mental, Sevilla, Spain
- Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital Virgen del Rocio, School of Medicine, University of Sevilla–IBiS, Sevilla, Spain
| | - Marta Di Forti
- Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, UK
| | | | - Ina Giegling
- Comprehensive Centers for Clinical Neurosciences and Mental Health (C3NMH), Medical University of Vienna, Austria
| | - Lieuwe de Haan
- Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Arkin, Institute for Mental Health, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Jeremy Hall
- Neuroscience and Mental Health Innovation Institute, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Hadyn Ellis Building, Mandy Road, Cardiff, UK
| | - Mei-Hua Hall
- Psychosis Neurobiology Laboratory, Harvard Medical School, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
| | - Neeltje van Haren
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry/Psychology, Erasmus University Medical Center, Sophia’s Children Hospital, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Conrad Iyegbe
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - René S Kahn
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Eugenia Kravariti
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, UK
| | - Stephen M Lawrie
- Division of Psychiatry, University of Edinburgh, Royal Edinburgh Hospital, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Kuang Lin
- Nuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Jurjen J Luykx
- Department of Psychiatry, Brain Centre Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Ignacio Mata
- Fundacion Argibide, Pamplona, Spain
- CIBERSAM, Centro Investigación Biomédica en Red Salud Mental, Madrid, Spain
| | - Colm McDonald
- The Centre for Neuroimaging & Cognitive Genomics (NICOG) and NCBES Galway Neuroscience Centre, University of Galway, Galway, Ireland
| | - Andrew M McIntosh
- Division of Psychiatry, University of Edinburgh, Royal Edinburgh Hospital, Edinburgh, UK
- Centre for Cognitive Ageing and Cognitive Epidemiology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Robin M Murray
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, UK
| | | | - Marco Picchioni
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, UK
- St Magnus Hospital, Surrey, UK
| | - John Powell
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, UK
| | - Diana P Prata
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, UK
- Instituto de Biofísica e Engenharia Biomédica, Faculdade de Ciencias da Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Dan Rujescu
- Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Division of General Psychiatry, Medical University of Vienna, Austria
| | - Bart P F Rutten
- Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Madiha Shaikh
- North East London Foundation Trust, London, UK
- Research Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, University College London, London, UK
| | - Claudia J P Simons
- Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, The Netherlands
- GGzE Institute for Mental Health Care, Eindhoven, The Netherlands
| | - Timothea Toulopoulou
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, UK
- Interdisciplinary Program in Neuroscience, Aysel Sabuncu Brain Research Center, Bilkent University, Ankara, Türkiye
- National Magnetic Resonance Research Center (UMRAM), Bilkent University, Ankara, Türkiye
- Department of Psychology, Bilkent University, Ankara, Türkiye
- School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health System, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, USA
| | - Matthias Weisbrod
- Department of General Psychiatry, Center of Psychosocial Medicine, University of Heidelberg, Germany
- SRH Klinikum, Karlsbad-Langensteinbach, Germany
| | - Ruud van Winkel
- Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, The Netherlands
- KU Leuven, Department of Neuroscience, Research Group Psychiatry, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Karoline Kuchenbaecker
- Department of Mental Health Neuroscience, Division of Psychiatry, University College London, London, UK
- UCL Genetics Institute, Division of Biosciences, University College London, London, UK
| | - Andrew McQuillin
- Department of Mental Health Neuroscience, Division of Psychiatry, University College London, London, UK
| | - Elvira Bramon
- Department of Mental Health Neuroscience, Division of Psychiatry, University College London, London, UK
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, London, UK
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Vouga Ribeiro N, Tavares V, Bramon E, Toulopoulou T, Valli I, Shergill S, Murray R, Prata D. Effects of psychosis-associated genetic markers on brain volumetry: a systematic review of replicated findings and an independent validation. Psychol Med 2022; 52:1-16. [PMID: 36168994 PMCID: PMC9811278 DOI: 10.1017/s0033291722002896] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2022] [Revised: 08/13/2022] [Accepted: 08/24/2022] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Given psychotic illnesses' high heritability and associations with brain structure, numerous neuroimaging-genetics findings have been reported in the last two decades. However, few findings have been replicated. In the present independent sample we aimed to replicate any psychosis-implicated SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphisms), which had previously shown at least two main effects on brain volume. METHODS A systematic review for SNPs showing a replicated effect on brain volume yielded 25 studies implicating seven SNPs in five genes. Their effect was then tested in 113 subjects with either schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, 'at risk mental state' or healthy state, for whole-brain and region-of-interest (ROI) associations with grey and white matter volume changes, using voxel-based morphometry. RESULTS We found FWER-corrected (Family-wise error rate) (i.e. statistically significant) associations of: (1) CACNA1C-rs769087-A with larger bilateral hippocampus and thalamus white matter, across the whole brain; and (2) CACNA1C-rs769087-A with larger superior frontal gyrus, as ROI. Higher replication concordance with existing literature was found, in decreasing order, for: (1) CACNA1C-rs769087-A, with larger dorsolateral-prefrontal/superior frontal gyrus and hippocampi (both with anatomical and directional concordance); (2) ZNF804A-rs11681373-A, with smaller angular gyrus grey matter and rectus gyri white matter (both with anatomical and directional concordance); and (3) BDNF-rs6265-T with superior frontal and middle cingulate gyri volume change (with anatomical and allelic concordance). CONCLUSIONS Most literature findings were not herein replicated. Nevertheless, high degree/likelihood of replication was found for two genome-wide association studies- and one candidate-implicated SNPs, supporting their involvement in psychosis and brain structure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nuno Vouga Ribeiro
- Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
- Instituto de Biofísica e Engenharia Biomédica, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Vânia Tavares
- Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
- Instituto de Biofísica e Engenharia Biomédica, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Elvira Bramon
- Division of Psychiatry, University College London, London, UK
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’ College London, London, UK
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, London, UK
| | - Timothea Toulopoulou
- Department of Psychology & National Magnetic Resonance Research Center (UMRAM), Aysel Sabuncu Brain Research Centre (ASBAM), Bilkent University, Ankara, Turkey
| | - Isabel Valli
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’ College London, London, UK
- Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Sukhi Shergill
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’ College London, London, UK
| | - Robin Murray
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’ College London, London, UK
| | - Diana Prata
- Instituto de Biofísica e Engenharia Biomédica, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
- Department of Old Age Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
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Ahmed AO, Kramer S, Hofman N, Flynn J, Hansen M, Martin V, Pillai A, Buckley PF. A Meta-Analysis of Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Effects on Brain Volume in Schizophrenia: Genotype and Serum Levels. Neuropsychobiology 2021; 80:411-424. [PMID: 33706323 PMCID: PMC8619762 DOI: 10.1159/000514126] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2020] [Accepted: 12/29/2020] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
AIM The Val66Met single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) on the BDNF gene has established pleiotropic effects on schizophrenia incidence and morphologic alterations in the illness. The effects of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) on brain volume measurements are however mixed seeming to be less established for most brain regions. The current meta-analytic review examined (1) the association of the Val66Met SNP and brain volume alterations in schizophrenia by comparing Met allele carriers to Val/Val homozygotes and (2) the association of serum BDNF with brain volume measurements. METHOD Studies included in the meta-analyses were identified through an electronic search of PubMed and PsycInfo (via EBSCO) for English language publications from January 2000 through December 2017. Included studies had conducted a genotyping procedure of Val66Met or obtained assays of serum BDNF and obtained brain volume data in patients with psychotic disorders. Nonhuman studies were excluded. RESULTS Study 1 which included 52 comparisons of Met carriers and Val/Val homozygotes found evidence of lower right and left hippocampal volumes among Met allele carriers with schizophrenia. Frontal measurements, while also lower among Met carriers, did not achieve statistical significance. Study 2 which included 7 examinations of the correlation between serum BDNF and brain volume found significant associations between serum BDNF levels and right and left hippocampal volume with lower BDNF corresponding to lower volumes. DISCUSSION The meta-analyses provided evidence of associations between brain volume alterations in schizophrenia and variations on the Val66Met SNP and serum BDNF. Given the limited number of studies, it remains unclear if BDNF effects are global or regionally specific.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anthony O. Ahmed
- Department of Psychiatry, Weill Cornell Medicine, White Plains, New York, USA,*Anthony O. Ahmed, Department of Psychiatry, Weill Cornell Medicine, 21 Bloomingdale Road, White Plains, NY 10605 (USA),
| | - Samantha Kramer
- Department of Psychology, Long Island University Post, New York, New York, USA
| | - Naama Hofman
- Department of Psychology, St. John's University, New York, New York, USA
| | - John Flynn
- Department of Psychology, Long Island University Brooklyn, New York, New York, USA
| | - Marie Hansen
- Department of Psychology, Long Island University Brooklyn, New York, New York, USA
| | - Victoria Martin
- Department of Psychology, City University of New York, New York, New York, USA
| | - Anilkumar Pillai
- Department of Psychiatry and Health Behavior, Augusta University, Augusta, Georgia, USA
| | - Peter F. Buckley
- Department of Psychiatry, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, USA
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4
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Mancini V, Sandini C, Padula MC, Zöller D, Schneider M, Schaer M, Eliez S. Positive psychotic symptoms are associated with divergent developmental trajectories of hippocampal volume during late adolescence in patients with 22q11DS. Mol Psychiatry 2020; 25:2844-2859. [PMID: 31164700 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-019-0443-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2019] [Revised: 05/04/2019] [Accepted: 05/13/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Low hippocampal volume is a consistent finding in schizophrenia and across the psychosis spectrum. However, there is a lack of studies investigating longitudinal hippocampal development and its relationship with psychotic symptoms. The 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11DS) has proven to be a remarkable model for the prospective study of individuals at high risk of schizophrenia to unravel the pathophysiological processes predating the onset of psychosis. Repeated cerebral MRIs were acquired from 140 patients with 22q11DS (53 experiencing moderate-to-severe psychotic symptoms) and 135 healthy controls aged from 6 to 35 years and with up to 5 time points per participant. Hippocampal subfield analysis was conducted using FreeSurfer-v.6 and FIRST-FSL. Then, whole hippocampal and subfield volumes were compared across the groups. Relative to controls, patients with 22q11DS showed a remarkably lower volume of all subfields except for CA2/3. No divergent trajectories in hippocampal development were found. When comparing patients with 22q11DS exhibiting psychotic symptoms to those without psychosis, we detected a volume decrease during late adolescence, starting in CA1 and spreading to other subfields. Our findings suggested that hippocampal volume is consistently smaller in patients with 22q11DS. Moreover, we have demonstrated that patients with 22q11DS and psychotic symptoms undergo a further decrease in volume during adolescence, a vulnerable period for the emergence of psychosis. Interestingly, CA2/3, despite being affected in patients with psychotic symptoms, was the only area not reduced in patients with 22q11DS relative to controls, thus suggesting that its atrophy exclusively correlates with the presence of positive psychotic symptoms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valentina Mancini
- Developmental Imaging and Psychopathology Laboratory, University of Geneva School of Medicine, Geneva, Switzerland.
| | - Corrado Sandini
- Developmental Imaging and Psychopathology Laboratory, University of Geneva School of Medicine, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Maria C Padula
- Developmental Imaging and Psychopathology Laboratory, University of Geneva School of Medicine, Geneva, Switzerland.,Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Daniela Zöller
- Developmental Imaging and Psychopathology Laboratory, University of Geneva School of Medicine, Geneva, Switzerland.,Institute of Bioengineering, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Maude Schneider
- Developmental Imaging and Psychopathology Laboratory, University of Geneva School of Medicine, Geneva, Switzerland.,Department of Neuroscience, Center for Contextual Psychiatry, Research Group Psychiatry, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Marie Schaer
- Developmental Imaging and Psychopathology Laboratory, University of Geneva School of Medicine, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Stephan Eliez
- Developmental Imaging and Psychopathology Laboratory, University of Geneva School of Medicine, Geneva, Switzerland.,Department of Genetic Medicine and Development, University of Geneva School of Medicine, Geneva, Switzerland
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Kuang L, Cui D, Jiao Q, Guo Y, Cao W, Gao W, Qiu J, Su L, Lu G. Alterations of Cognition and Cerebral Ventricle Volume in Manic and Euthymic Pediatric Bipolar Disorder. Front Psychiatry 2020; 11:593629. [PMID: 33381058 PMCID: PMC7767823 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2020.593629] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2020] [Accepted: 11/24/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction: It remains unknown whether volumetric alterations of ventricles are similar or not in pediatric bipolar disorder (PBD) among different mood states. The present study aims to estimate ventricular volumetric alteration of PBD patients in manic and euthymic status, as well as the relationship between this alteration and cognitive changes. Methods: T1 magnetic resonance images were obtained from 20 manic PBD patients, 21 euthymic PBD patients, and 19 healthy controls (HCs). Ventricular volumes were automatically obtained via FreeSurfer 6.0 software. Ventricular volumes and cognitive indices were compared among the three groups, and the relationship between ventricular volumes and cognitive/clinical indices was analyzed. Results: In contrast to HCs, manic and euthymic PBD patients exhibited decreased cognitive scores of the Stroop color-word test and the digit span subtest. Manic PBD subjects presented enlarged volumes in the bilateral ventricles, third ventricle, and whole ventricles, and euthymic PBD participants displayed increased volumes in the third ventricle, fourth ventricle, and whole ventricles. No significant differences in cognitive performance and ventricular volumes were found between PBD groups. No significant correlation was discovered between ventricular volumes and cognitive/clinical indices in both manic and euthymic PBD patients. Conclusions: No significant differences in cognitive performance and ventricle volume were observed between euthymic and manic PBD groups, which may imply that the alterations are not specific to mood state. It may indicate structural and functional damage of corresponding brain circuits in euthymic PBD patients similar with that of manic PBD, which may provide clues to the diagnosis and treatment of euthymic PBD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liangfeng Kuang
- Department of Radiology, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Taian, China
| | - Dong Cui
- Department of Radiology, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Taian, China
| | - Qing Jiao
- Department of Radiology, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Taian, China
| | - Yongxin Guo
- Department of Radiology, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Taian, China
| | - Weifang Cao
- Department of Radiology, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Taian, China
| | - Weijia Gao
- Department of Child Psychology, The Children's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Jianfeng Qiu
- Department of Radiology, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Taian, China
| | - Linyan Su
- Mental Health Institute of the Second Xiangya Hospital, Key Laboratory of Psychiatry and Mental Health of Hunan Province, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Guangming Lu
- Department of Medical Imaging, Jinling Hospital, Clinical School of Medical College, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
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McKay NS, Moreau D, Henare DT, Kirk IJ. The brain-derived neurotrophic factor Val66Met genotype does not influence the grey or white matter structures underlying recognition memory. Neuroimage 2019; 197:1-12. [PMID: 30954706 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2019.03.072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2018] [Revised: 03/01/2019] [Accepted: 03/30/2019] [Indexed: 10/27/2022] Open
Abstract
A single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the gene coding for brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) has previously been associated with a reduction in recognition memory performance. While previous findings have highlighted that this SNP contributes to recognition memory, little is known about its influence on subprocesses of recognition, familiarity and recollection. Previous research has reported reduced hippocampal volume and decreased fractional anisotropy in carriers of the Met allele across a range of white matter tracts, including those networks that may support recognition memory. Here, in a sample of 61 healthy young adults, we used a source memory task to measure accuracy on each recognition subprocess, in order to determine whether the Val66Met SNP (rs6265) influences these equally. Additionally, we compared grey matter volume between these groups for structures that underpin familiarity and recollection separately. Finally, we used probabilistic tractography to reconstruct tracts that subserve each of these two recognition systems. Behaviourally, we found group differences on the familiarity measure, but not on recollection. However, we did not find any group difference on grey- or white-matter structures. Together, these results suggest a functional influence of the Val66Met SNP that is independent of coarse structural changes, and nuance previous research highlighting the relationship between BDNF, brain structure, and behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole S McKay
- School of Psychology, University of Auckland, New Zealand.
| | - David Moreau
- School of Psychology, University of Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Dion T Henare
- School of Psychology, University of Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Ian J Kirk
- School of Psychology, University of Auckland, New Zealand; Brain Research New Zealand, New Zealand
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Xu FL, Wang BJ, Yao J. Association between the SLC6A4 gene and schizophrenia: an updated meta-analysis. Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat 2019; 15:143-155. [PMID: 30643413 PMCID: PMC6314053 DOI: 10.2147/ndt.s190563] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND In order to explore the association between the SLC6A4 gene and the risk of schizophrenia, an updated meta-analysis was conducted using a total of 46 scientific articles. METHODS Through a literature search, papers studied included 35 articles on serotonin-transporter-linked polymorphic region (5-HTTLPR) with 8,752 cases and 10,610 controls, 17 articles on second intron variable number of tandem repeats with 7,284 cases and 8,544 controls, four studies on rs1042173 with 1,351 cases and 2,101 controls, and four studies on rs140700 with 1,770 cases and 2,386 controls. Pooled, subgroup, and sensitivity analyses were performed, and the results were visualized by forest and funnel plots. RESULTS An association between 5-HTTLPR and the risk of schizophrenia was not found, except for an Indian subgroup analysis (Pz =0.014, OR =1.749, 95% CI =1.120-2.731). A 10 repeats/12 repeats (10R/12R) genotype was a protective factor against schizophrenia (Pz =0.020, OR =0.789, 95% CI =0.646-0.963), but a 12R/12R genotype was a risk factor for schizophrenia (Pz =0.004, OR =1.936, 95% CI =1.238-3.029) in the pooled analyses. In Caucasians, a GG genotype of rs1042173 may be a risk factor for schizophrenia (Pz =0.006, OR =1.299, 95% CI =1.079-1.565). No association was found between rs140700 and the risk for schizophrenia. CONCLUSION Through meta-analysis, we were able to gain insight into previously reported associations between SLC6A4 polymorphism and schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Feng-Ling Xu
- School of Forensic Medicine, China Medical University, Shenyang 110122, People's Republic of China, ;
| | - Bao-Jie Wang
- School of Forensic Medicine, China Medical University, Shenyang 110122, People's Republic of China, ;
| | - Jun Yao
- School of Forensic Medicine, China Medical University, Shenyang 110122, People's Republic of China, ;
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8
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Otsuka Y, Kakeda S, Sugimoto K, Katsuki A, Nguyen LH, Igata R, Watanabe K, Ueda I, Kishi T, Iwata N, Korogi Y, Yoshimura R. COMT polymorphism regulates the hippocampal subfield volumes in first-episode, drug-naive patients with major depressive disorder. Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat 2019; 15:1537-1545. [PMID: 31239688 PMCID: PMC6560253 DOI: 10.2147/ndt.s199598] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/26/2018] [Accepted: 04/29/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Purpose: Compared with healthy subjects (HS), patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) exhibit volume differences that affect the volume changes in several areas such as the limbic, cortical, subcortical, and white matter. Catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) is a methylation enzyme that catalyzes endogenous catecholamines. The Val158Met polymorphism of COMT has been reported to affect the dopamine (DA) levels, which plays an important role in psychiatric diseases. However, the relationships among both DA levels, COMT genotype, and brain morphology are complicated and controversial. In previous studies that investigated the hippocampal subfields, the greatest brain abnormalities in MDD patients were observed in Cornu Ammonis (CA)1 and the subiculum, followed by that in CA2-3. We have prospectively demonstrated the relationship between the single-nucleotide polymorphism of the Val158Met COMT gene (rs4680) and the hippocampal subfields in drug-naive MDD patients. Patients and methods: In this study, we compared 27 MDD patients and 42 HS who were divided into groups based on their COMT genotype. The effects of the diagnosis, genotype, and genotype-diagnosis interaction related to CA1 and the subiculum volumes, as well as the whole-brain cortical thickness, were evaluated by performing a FreeSurfer statistical analysis of high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings. Results: The results revealed that there was a statistically significant interaction between the effects of diagnosis and genotype on the right subiculum (a component of the hippocampus). Conclusion: This Val158Met COMT polymorphism may influence the subiculum volume in drug-naive, first-episode MDD patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuka Otsuka
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Kitakyushu, Japan
| | - Shingo Kakeda
- Department of Radiology, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Kitakyushu, Japan
| | - Koichiro Sugimoto
- Department of Radiology, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Kitakyushu, Japan
| | - Asuka Katsuki
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Kitakyushu, Japan
| | - Le Hoa Nguyen
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Kitakyushu, Japan
| | - Ryohei Igata
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Kitakyushu, Japan
| | - Keita Watanabe
- Department of Radiology, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Kitakyushu, Japan
| | - Issei Ueda
- Department of Radiology, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Kitakyushu, Japan
| | - Taro Kishi
- Department of Psychiatry, Fujita Health University School of Medicine, Toyoake, Japan
| | - Nakao Iwata
- Department of Psychiatry, Fujita Health University School of Medicine, Toyoake, Japan
| | - Yukunori Korogi
- Department of Radiology, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Kitakyushu, Japan
| | - Reiji Yoshimura
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Kitakyushu, Japan
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9
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Blakey R, Ranlund S, Zartaloudi E, Cahn W, Calafato S, Colizzi M, Crespo-Facorro B, Daniel C, Díez-Revuelta Á, Di Forti M, Iyegbe C, Jablensky A, Jones R, Hall MH, Kahn R, Kalaydjieva L, Kravariti E, Lin K, McDonald C, McIntosh AM, Picchioni M, Powell J, Presman A, Rujescu D, Schulze K, Shaikh M, Thygesen JH, Toulopoulou T, Van Haren N, Van Os J, Walshe M, Murray RM, Bramon E. Associations between psychosis endophenotypes across brain functional, structural, and cognitive domains. Psychol Med 2018; 48:1325-1340. [PMID: 29094675 PMCID: PMC6516747 DOI: 10.1017/s0033291717002860] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND A range of endophenotypes characterise psychosis, however there has been limited work understanding if and how they are inter-related. METHODS This multi-centre study includes 8754 participants: 2212 people with a psychotic disorder, 1487 unaffected relatives of probands, and 5055 healthy controls. We investigated cognition [digit span (N = 3127), block design (N = 5491), and the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (N = 3543)], electrophysiology [P300 amplitude and latency (N = 1102)], and neuroanatomy [lateral ventricular volume (N = 1721)]. We used linear regression to assess the interrelationships between endophenotypes. RESULTS The P300 amplitude and latency were not associated (regression coef. -0.06, 95% CI -0.12 to 0.01, p = 0.060), and P300 amplitude was positively associated with block design (coef. 0.19, 95% CI 0.10-0.28, p 0.38). All the cognitive endophenotypes were associated with each other in the expected directions (all p < 0.001). Lastly, the relationships between pairs of endophenotypes were consistent in all three participant groups, differing for some of the cognitive pairings only in the strengths of the relationships. CONCLUSIONS The P300 amplitude and latency are independent endophenotypes; the former indexing spatial visualisation and working memory, and the latter is hypothesised to index basic processing speed. Individuals with psychotic illnesses, their unaffected relatives, and healthy controls all show similar patterns of associations between endophenotypes, endorsing the theory of a continuum of psychosis liability across the population.
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Affiliation(s)
- R. Blakey
- Division of Psychiatry, University College London, London, UK
| | - S. Ranlund
- Division of Psychiatry, University College London, London, UK
- Institute of Psychiatry Psychology and Neuroscience at King’s College London and South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | - E. Zartaloudi
- Division of Psychiatry, University College London, London, UK
| | - W. Cahn
- Department of Psychiatry, Brain Centre Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - S. Calafato
- Division of Psychiatry, University College London, London, UK
| | - M. Colizzi
- Institute of Psychiatry Psychology and Neuroscience at King’s College London and South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | - B. Crespo-Facorro
- CIBERSAM, Centro Investigación Biomédica en Red Salud Mental, Madrid, Spain
- Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital Marqués de Valdecilla, School of Medicine, University of Cantabria–IDIVAL, Santander, Spain
| | - C. Daniel
- Division of Psychiatry, University College London, London, UK
| | - Á. Díez-Revuelta
- Division of Psychiatry, University College London, London, UK
- Laboratory of Cognitive and Computational Neuroscience – Centre for Biomedical Technology (CTB), Complutense University and Technical University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - M. Di Forti
- Institute of Psychiatry Psychology and Neuroscience at King’s College London and South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | | | - C. Iyegbe
- Institute of Psychiatry Psychology and Neuroscience at King’s College London and South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | - A. Jablensky
- Centre for Clinical Research in Neuropsychiatry, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
| | - R. Jones
- Division of Psychiatry, University College London, London, UK
| | - M.-H. Hall
- Psychology Research Laboratory, Harvard Medical School, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
| | - R. Kahn
- Department of Psychiatry, Brain Centre Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - L. Kalaydjieva
- Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research and Centre for Medical Research, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia
| | - E. Kravariti
- Institute of Psychiatry Psychology and Neuroscience at King’s College London and South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | - K. Lin
- Institute of Psychiatry Psychology and Neuroscience at King’s College London and South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
- Nuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - C. McDonald
- Department of Psychiatry, Clinical Science Institute, National University of Ireland Galway, Ireland
| | - A. M. McIntosh
- Division of Psychiatry, University of Edinburgh, Royal Edinburgh Hospital, Edinburgh, UK
- Centre for Cognitive Ageing and Cognitive Epidemiology, University of Edinburgh, UK
| | | | - M. Picchioni
- Institute of Psychiatry Psychology and Neuroscience at King’s College London and South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | - J. Powell
- Institute of Psychiatry Psychology and Neuroscience at King’s College London and South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | - A. Presman
- Division of Psychiatry, University College London, London, UK
| | - D. Rujescu
- Department of Psychiatry, Ludwig-Maximilians University of Munich, Munich, Germany
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University of Halle Wittenberg, Halle, Germany
| | - K. Schulze
- Institute of Psychiatry Psychology and Neuroscience at King’s College London and South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | - M. Shaikh
- Institute of Psychiatry Psychology and Neuroscience at King’s College London and South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
- North East London Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | - J. H. Thygesen
- Division of Psychiatry, University College London, London, UK
| | - T. Toulopoulou
- Institute of Psychiatry Psychology and Neuroscience at King’s College London and South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
- Department of Psychology, Bilkent University, Main Campus, Bilkent, Ankara, Turkey
- Department of Psychology, the University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Rd, Hong Kong SAR, China
- The State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, The Hong Kong Jockey Club Building for Interdisciplinary Research, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - N. Van Haren
- Department of Psychiatry, Brain Centre Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - J. Van Os
- Institute of Psychiatry Psychology and Neuroscience at King’s College London and South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychology, Maastricht University Medical Centre, EURON, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - M. Walshe
- Division of Psychiatry, University College London, London, UK
- Institute of Psychiatry Psychology and Neuroscience at King’s College London and South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | | | - R. M. Murray
- Institute of Psychiatry Psychology and Neuroscience at King’s College London and South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | - E. Bramon
- Division of Psychiatry, University College London, London, UK
- Institute of Psychiatry Psychology and Neuroscience at King’s College London and South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, London, UK
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10
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Arslan A. Mapping the Schizophrenia Genes by Neuroimaging: The Opportunities and the Challenges. Int J Mol Sci 2018; 19:ijms19010219. [PMID: 29324666 PMCID: PMC5796168 DOI: 10.3390/ijms19010219] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2017] [Revised: 01/05/2018] [Accepted: 01/07/2018] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Schizophrenia (SZ) is a heritable brain disease originating from a complex interaction of genetic and environmental factors. The genes underpinning the neurobiology of SZ are largely unknown but recent data suggest strong evidence for genetic variations, such as single nucleotide polymorphisms, making the brain vulnerable to the risk of SZ. Structural and functional brain mapping of these genetic variations are essential for the development of agents and tools for better diagnosis, treatment and prevention of SZ. Addressing this, neuroimaging methods in combination with genetic analysis have been increasingly used for almost 20 years. So-called imaging genetics, the opportunities of this approach along with its limitations for SZ research will be outlined in this invited paper. While the problems such as reproducibility, genetic effect size, specificity and sensitivity exist, opportunities such as multivariate analysis, development of multisite consortia for large-scale data collection, emergence of non-candidate gene (hypothesis-free) approach of neuroimaging genetics are likely to contribute to a rapid progress for gene discovery besides to gene validation studies that are related to SZ.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ayla Arslan
- Genetics and Bioengineering Program, Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences, International University of Sarajevo, Hrasnica cesta, 15 Ilidza, Sarajevo 71210, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences, Uskudar University, Istanbul 34662, Turkey.
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11
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Abstract
Imaging genetics is a research methodology studying the effect of genetic variation on brain structure, function, behavior, and risk for psychopathology. Since the early 2000s, imaging genetics has been increasingly used in the research of schizophrenia (SZ). SZ is a severe mental disorder with no precise knowledge of its underlying neurobiology, however, new genetic and neurobiological data generate a climate for new avenues. The accumulating data of genome wide association studies (GWAS) continuously decode SZ risk genes. Global neuroimaging consortia produce collections of brain phenotypes from tens of thousands of people. In this context, imaging genetics will be strategically important both for the validation and discovery of SZ related findings. Thus, the study of GWAS supported risk variants as candidate genes to validate by neuroimaging is one trend. The study of epigenetic differences in relation to variations of brain phenotypes and the study of large scale multivariate analysis of genome wide and brain wide associations are other trends. While these studies hold a big potential for understanding the neurobiology of SZ, the problem of reproducibility appears as a major challenge, which requires standardizations in study designs and compensations of methodological limitations such as sensitivity and specificity. On the other hand, advancements of neuroimaging, optical and electron microscopy along with the use of genetically encoded fluorescent probes and robust statistical approaches will not only catalyze integrative methodologies but also will help better design the imaging genetics studies. In this invited paper, I will discuss the current perspective of imaging genetics and emerging opportunities of SZ research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ayla Arslan
- Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences, Department of Genetics and Bioengineering, International University of Sarajevo, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina; Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences, Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Uskudar University, Istanbul, Turkey.
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12
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Ranlund S, Calafato S, Thygesen JH, Lin K, Cahn W, Crespo‐Facorro B, de Zwarte SM, Díez Á, Di Forti M, Iyegbe C, Jablensky A, Jones R, Hall M, Kahn R, Kalaydjieva L, Kravariti E, McDonald C, McIntosh AM, McQuillin A, Picchioni M, Prata DP, Rujescu D, Schulze K, Shaikh M, Toulopoulou T, van Haren N, van Os J, Vassos E, Walshe M, Lewis C, Murray RM, Powell J, Bramon E. A polygenic risk score analysis of psychosis endophenotypes across brain functional, structural, and cognitive domains. Am J Med Genet B Neuropsychiatr Genet 2018; 177:21-34. [PMID: 28851104 PMCID: PMC5763362 DOI: 10.1002/ajmg.b.32581] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2017] [Accepted: 07/24/2017] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
This large multi-center study investigates the relationships between genetic risk for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, and multi-modal endophenotypes for psychosis. The sample included 4,242 individuals; 1,087 patients with psychosis, 822 unaffected first-degree relatives of patients, and 2,333 controls. Endophenotypes included the P300 event-related potential (N = 515), lateral ventricular volume (N = 798), and the cognitive measures block design (N = 3,089), digit span (N = 1,437), and the Ray Auditory Verbal Learning Task (N = 2,406). Data were collected across 11 sites in Europe and Australia; all genotyping and genetic analyses were done at the same laboratory in the United Kingdom. We calculated polygenic risk scores for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder separately, and used linear regression to test whether polygenic scores influenced the endophenotypes. Results showed that higher polygenic scores for schizophrenia were associated with poorer performance on the block design task and explained 0.2% (p = 0.009) of the variance. Associations in the same direction were found for bipolar disorder scores, but this was not statistically significant at the 1% level (p = 0.02). The schizophrenia score explained 0.4% of variance in lateral ventricular volumes, the largest across all phenotypes examined, although this was not significant (p = 0.063). None of the remaining associations reached significance after correction for multiple testing (with alpha at 1%). These results indicate that common genetic variants associated with schizophrenia predict performance in spatial visualization, providing additional evidence that this measure is an endophenotype for the disorder with shared genetic risk variants. The use of endophenotypes such as this will help to characterize the effects of common genetic variation in psychosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Siri Ranlund
- Division of PsychiatryUniversity College LondonLondonUK
- Institute of Psychiatry Psychology and Neuroscience at King's College London and South LondonMaudsley NHS Foundation TrustLondonUK
| | | | | | - Kuang Lin
- Institute of Psychiatry Psychology and Neuroscience at King's College London and South LondonMaudsley NHS Foundation TrustLondonUK
- Nuffield Department of Population HealthUniversity of OxfordOxfordUK
| | - Wiepke Cahn
- Department of Psychiatry, Brain Centre Rudolf MagnusUniversity Medical Center UtrechtUtrechtThe Netherlands
| | - Benedicto Crespo‐Facorro
- CIBERSAMCentro Investigación Biomédica en Red Salud MentalMadridSpain
- Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital Marqués de Valdecilla, School of MedicineUniversity of Cantabria–IDIVALSantanderSpain
| | - Sonja M.C. de Zwarte
- Department of Psychiatry, Brain Centre Rudolf MagnusUniversity Medical Center UtrechtUtrechtThe Netherlands
| | - Álvaro Díez
- Division of PsychiatryUniversity College LondonLondonUK
- Laboratory of Cognitive and Computational Neuroscience—Centre for Biomedical Technology (CTB)Complutense University and Technical University of MadridMadridSpain
| | - Marta Di Forti
- Institute of Psychiatry Psychology and Neuroscience at King's College London and South LondonMaudsley NHS Foundation TrustLondonUK
| | | | - Conrad Iyegbe
- Institute of Psychiatry Psychology and Neuroscience at King's College London and South LondonMaudsley NHS Foundation TrustLondonUK
| | - Assen Jablensky
- Centre for Clinical Research in NeuropsychiatryThe University of Western AustraliaPerth, Western AustraliaAustralia
| | - Rebecca Jones
- Division of PsychiatryUniversity College LondonLondonUK
| | - Mei‐Hua Hall
- Psychosis Neurobiology Laboratory, Harvard Medical SchoolMcLean HospitalBelmontMassachusetts
| | - Rene Kahn
- Department of Psychiatry, Brain Centre Rudolf MagnusUniversity Medical Center UtrechtUtrechtThe Netherlands
| | - Luba Kalaydjieva
- Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research and Centre for Medical ResearchThe University of Western AustraliaPerthAustralia
| | - Eugenia Kravariti
- Institute of Psychiatry Psychology and Neuroscience at King's College London and South LondonMaudsley NHS Foundation TrustLondonUK
| | - Colm McDonald
- The Centre for Neuroimaging & Cognitive Genomics (NICOG) and NCBES Galway Neuroscience CentreNational University of Ireland GalwayGalwayIreland
| | - Andrew M. McIntosh
- Division of Psychiatry, University of EdinburghRoyal Edinburgh HospitalEdinburghUK
- Centre for Cognitive Ageing and Cognitive EpidemiologyUniversity of EdinburghEdinburghUK
| | | | | | - Marco Picchioni
- Institute of Psychiatry Psychology and Neuroscience at King's College London and South LondonMaudsley NHS Foundation TrustLondonUK
| | - Diana P. Prata
- Institute of Psychiatry Psychology and Neuroscience at King's College London and South LondonMaudsley NHS Foundation TrustLondonUK
- Faculdade de Medicina, Instituto de Medicina MolecularUniversidade de LisboaPortugal
| | - Dan Rujescu
- Department of PsychiatryLudwig‐Maximilians University of MunichMunichGermany
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and PsychosomaticsUniversity of Halle WittenbergHalleGermany
| | - Katja Schulze
- Institute of Psychiatry Psychology and Neuroscience at King's College London and South LondonMaudsley NHS Foundation TrustLondonUK
| | - Madiha Shaikh
- North East London Foundation TrustLondonUK
- Research Department of Clinical, Educational and Health PsychologyUniversity College LondonLondonUK
| | - Timothea Toulopoulou
- Institute of Psychiatry Psychology and Neuroscience at King's College London and South LondonMaudsley NHS Foundation TrustLondonUK
- Department of Psychology, Bilkent UniversityMain CampusBilkent, AnkaraTurkey
- Department of PsychologyThe University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam RdHong Kong SARChina
- The State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, The University of Hong KongThe Hong Kong Jockey Club Building for Interdisciplinary ResearchHong Kong SARChina
| | - Neeltje van Haren
- Department of Psychiatry, Brain Centre Rudolf MagnusUniversity Medical Center UtrechtUtrechtThe Netherlands
| | - Jim van Os
- Institute of Psychiatry Psychology and Neuroscience at King's College London and South LondonMaudsley NHS Foundation TrustLondonUK
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychology, Maastricht University Medical CentreEURONMaastrichtThe Netherlands
| | - Evangelos Vassos
- Institute of Psychiatry Psychology and Neuroscience at King's College London and South LondonMaudsley NHS Foundation TrustLondonUK
| | - Muriel Walshe
- Division of PsychiatryUniversity College LondonLondonUK
- Institute of Psychiatry Psychology and Neuroscience at King's College London and South LondonMaudsley NHS Foundation TrustLondonUK
| | | | - Cathryn Lewis
- Institute of Psychiatry Psychology and Neuroscience at King's College London and South LondonMaudsley NHS Foundation TrustLondonUK
| | - Robin M. Murray
- Institute of Psychiatry Psychology and Neuroscience at King's College London and South LondonMaudsley NHS Foundation TrustLondonUK
| | - John Powell
- Institute of Psychiatry Psychology and Neuroscience at King's College London and South LondonMaudsley NHS Foundation TrustLondonUK
| | - Elvira Bramon
- Division of PsychiatryUniversity College LondonLondonUK
- Institute of Psychiatry Psychology and Neuroscience at King's College London and South LondonMaudsley NHS Foundation TrustLondonUK
- Institute of Cognitive NeuroscienceUniversity College LondonLondonUK
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13
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Moore AA, Sawyers C, Adkins DE, Docherty AR. Opportunities for an enhanced integration of neuroscience and genomics. Brain Imaging Behav 2017; 12:1211-1219. [PMID: 29063506 DOI: 10.1007/s11682-017-9780-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Neuroimaging and genetics are two rapidly expanding fields of research. Thoughtful integration of these areas is critical for ongoing large-scale research into the genetic mechanisms underlying brain structure, function, and development. Neuroimaging genetics has been slow to evolve relative to psychiatric genetics research, and some may be unaware that new statistical methods allow for the genomic analysis of more modestly-sized imaging samples. We present a broad overview of the extant imaging genetics literature, provide an interpretation of the major problems surrounding the integration of neuroimaging and genetics, discuss the influence and impact of genetics consortia, and suggest statistical genetic analyses that expand the repertoire of imaging researchers amassing rich behavioral data in modestly-sized samples. Specific attention is paid to the creative use of polygenic risk scoring in imaging genetic analyses, with primers on the most current risk scoring applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashlee A Moore
- Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, Richmond, VA, 23220, USA.,Center for Clinical and Translational Research, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, 23220, USA
| | - Chelsea Sawyers
- Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, Richmond, VA, 23220, USA.,Department of Human and Molecular Genetics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, 23220, USA
| | - Daniel E Adkins
- Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, Richmond, VA, 23220, USA.,University Neuropsychiatric Institute, University of Utah School of Medicine, 501 Chipeta Way, Salt Lake City, UT, 84110, USA.,Department of Psychiatry, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT, 84110, USA.,Department of Sociology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, 84110, USA
| | - Anna R Docherty
- Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, Richmond, VA, 23220, USA. .,University Neuropsychiatric Institute, University of Utah School of Medicine, 501 Chipeta Way, Salt Lake City, UT, 84110, USA. .,Department of Psychiatry, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT, 84110, USA.
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14
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Xu J, Qin W, Li Q, Li W, Liu F, Liu B, Jiang T, Yu C. Prefrontal Volume Mediates Effect ofCOMTPolymorphism on Interference Resolution Capacity in Healthy Male Adults. Cereb Cortex 2016; 27:5211-5221. [DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhw301] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2016] [Accepted: 09/07/2016] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
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15
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Mostaid MS, Lloyd D, Liberg B, Sundram S, Pereira A, Pantelis C, Karl T, Weickert CS, Everall IP, Bousman CA. Neuregulin-1 and schizophrenia in the genome-wide association study era. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2016; 68:387-409. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2016.06.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2016] [Revised: 05/30/2016] [Accepted: 06/03/2016] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
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16
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Mao Q, Tan YL, Luo XG, Tian L, Wang ZR, Tan SP, Chen S, Yang GG, An HM, Yang FD, Zhang XY. Association of catechol-O-methyltransferase Val(108/158) Met genetic polymorphism with schizophrenia, P50 sensory gating, and negative symptoms in a Chinese population. Psychiatry Res 2016; 242:271-276. [PMID: 27315458 DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2016.04.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2015] [Revised: 01/08/2016] [Accepted: 04/13/2016] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
Catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT), an enzyme involved in the degradation and inactivation of the neurotransmitter dopamine, is associated with the sensory gating phenomenon, protecting the cerebral cortex from information overload. The COMT Val(108/158)Met polymorphism is essential for prefrontal cortex processing capacity and efficiency. The current study was designed to investigate the role of COMT Val(108/158)Met polymorphism in development, sensory gating deficit, and symptoms of schizophrenia in Han Chinese population. P50 gating was determined in 139 schizophrenic patients and 165 healthy controls. Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) was used to assess the clinical symptomatology in 370 schizophrenic subjects. COMT Val(108/158)Met polymorphism was genotyped by PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP). No significant differences in COMT allele and genotype distributions were observed between schizophrenic patients and control groups. Although P50 deficits were present in patients, there was no evidence for an association between COMT Val(108/158)Met polymorphism and the P50 biomarker. Moreover, PANSS negative subscore was significantly higher in Val allele carriers than in Met/Met individuals. The present findings suggest that COMT Val(108/158)Met polymorphism may not contribute to the risk of schizophrenia and to the P50 deficits, but may contribute to the negative symptoms of schizophrenia among Han Chinese.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiao Mao
- Biological Psychiatry Research Center, Peking University Huilongguan Teaching Hospital, Beijing 100096, PR China
| | - Yun-Long Tan
- Biological Psychiatry Research Center, Peking University Huilongguan Teaching Hospital, Beijing 100096, PR China.
| | - Xing-Guang Luo
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Li Tian
- Neuroscience Center, University of Helsinki, Viikinkaari 4, FIN-00014 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Zhi-Ren Wang
- Biological Psychiatry Research Center, Peking University Huilongguan Teaching Hospital, Beijing 100096, PR China
| | - Shu-Ping Tan
- Biological Psychiatry Research Center, Peking University Huilongguan Teaching Hospital, Beijing 100096, PR China
| | - Song Chen
- Biological Psychiatry Research Center, Peking University Huilongguan Teaching Hospital, Beijing 100096, PR China
| | - Gui-Gang Yang
- Biological Psychiatry Research Center, Peking University Huilongguan Teaching Hospital, Beijing 100096, PR China
| | - Hui-Mei An
- Biological Psychiatry Research Center, Peking University Huilongguan Teaching Hospital, Beijing 100096, PR China
| | - Fu-De Yang
- Biological Psychiatry Research Center, Peking University Huilongguan Teaching Hospital, Beijing 100096, PR China
| | - Xiang-Yang Zhang
- Biological Psychiatry Research Center, Peking University Huilongguan Teaching Hospital, Beijing 100096, PR China; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Harris County Psychiatric Center, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA
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Hashimoto R, Ohi K, Yamamori H, Yasuda Y, Fujimoto M, Umeda-Yano S, Watanabe Y, Fukunaga M, Takeda M. Imaging genetics and psychiatric disorders. Curr Mol Med 2015; 15:168-75. [PMID: 25732148 PMCID: PMC4460286 DOI: 10.2174/1566524015666150303104159] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2014] [Revised: 12/20/2014] [Accepted: 01/18/2015] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Imaging genetics is an integrated research method that uses neuroimaging and genetics to assess the impact of genetic variation on brain function and structure. Imaging genetics is both a tool for the discovery of risk genes for psychiatric disorders and a strategy for characterizing the neural systems affected by risk gene variants to elucidate quantitative and mechanistic aspects of brain function implicated in psychiatric disease. Early studies of imaging genetics included association analyses between brain morphology and single nucleotide polymorphisms whose function is well known, such as catechol-Omethyltransferase (COMT) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). GWAS of psychiatric disorders have identified genes with unknown functions, such as ZNF804A, and imaging genetics has been used to investigate clues of the biological function of these genes. The difficulty in replicating the findings of studies with small sample sizes has motivated the creation of largescale collaborative consortiums, such as ENIGMA, CHARGE and IMAGEN, to collect thousands of images. In a genome-wide association study, the ENIGMA consortium successfully identified common variants in the genome associated with hippocampal volume at 12q24, and the CHARGE consortium replicated this finding. The new era of imaging genetics has just begun, and the next challenge we face is the discovery of small effect size signals from large data sets obtained from genetics and neuroimaging. New methods and technologies for data reduction with appropriate statistical thresholds, such as polygenic analysis and parallel independent component analysis (ICA), are warranted. Future advances in imaging genetics will aid in the discovery of genes and provide mechanistic insight into psychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - M Takeda
- Molecular Research Center for Children's Mental Development, United Graduate School of Child Development, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan.
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Watanabe K, Kakeda S, Yoshimura R, Ide S, Hayashi K, Katsuki A, Umene-Nakano W, Watanabe R, Abe O, Korogi Y. Genetic Variation in the Catechol-O-Methyl Transferase Val108/158Met Is Linked to the Caudate and Posterior Cingulate Cortex Volume in Healthy Subjects: Voxel-Based Morphometry Analysis of Brain Magnetic Resonance Imaging. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0142862. [PMID: 26566126 PMCID: PMC4643939 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0142862] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2015] [Accepted: 10/26/2015] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
The effect of the catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) Val158Met polymorphism on brain morphology has been investigated but remains controversial. We hypothesized that a comparison between Val/Val and Val/Met individuals, which may represent the most different combinations concerning the effects of the COMT genotype, may reveal new findings. We investigated the brain morphology using 3-Tesla magnetic resonance imaging in 27 Val/Val and 22 Val/Met individuals. Voxel-based morphometry revealed that the volumes of the bilateral caudate and posterior cingulate cortex were significantly smaller in Val/Val individuals than in Val/Met individuals [right caudate: false discovery rate (FDR)-corrected p = 0.048; left caudate: FDR-corrected p = 0.048; and bilateral posterior cingulate cortex: FDR-corrected p = 0.048]. This study demonstrates that interacting functional variants of COMT affect gray matter regional volumes in healthy subjects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keita Watanabe
- Department of Radiology, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Shingo Kakeda
- Department of Radiology, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Reiji Yoshimura
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Satoru Ide
- Department of Radiology, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Kenji Hayashi
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Asuka Katsuki
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Wakako Umene-Nakano
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Rieko Watanabe
- Department of Radiology, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Osamu Abe
- Department of Radiology, Nihon University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yukunori Korogi
- Department of Radiology, Nihon University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
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20
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Harrisberger F, Smieskova R, Schmidt A, Lenz C, Walter A, Wittfeld K, Grabe HJ, Lang UE, Fusar-Poli P, Borgwardt S. BDNF Val66Met polymorphism and hippocampal volume in neuropsychiatric disorders: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2015; 55:107-18. [PMID: 25956254 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2015.04.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 84] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2014] [Revised: 04/15/2015] [Accepted: 04/25/2015] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is a neurotrophin involved in neurogenesis and synaptic plasticity in the central nervous system, especially in the hippocampus, and has been implicated in the pathophysiology of several neuropsychiatric disorders. Its Val66Met polymorphism (refSNP Cluster Report: rs6265) is a functionally relevant single nucleotide polymorphism affecting the secretion of BDNF and is implicated in differences in hippocampal volumes. METHODS This is a systematic meta-analytical review of findings from imaging genetic studies on the impact of the rs6265 SNP on hippocampal volumes in neuropsychiatric patients with major depressive disorder, anxiety, bipolar disorder or schizophrenia. RESULTS The overall sample size of 18 independent clinical cohorts comprised 1695 patients. Our results indicated no significant association of left (Hedge's g=0.08, p=0.12), right (g=0.07, p=0.22) or bilateral (g=0.07, p=0.16) hippocampal volumes with BDNF rs6265 in neuropsychiatric patients. There was no evidence for a publication bias or any demographic, clinical, or methodological moderating effects. Both Val/Val homozygotes (g=0.32, p=0.004) and Met-carriers (g=0.20, p=0.004) from the patient sample had significantly smaller hippocampal volumes than the healthy control sample with the same allele. The magnitude of these effects did not differ between the two genotypes. CONCLUSION This meta-analysis suggests that there is no association between this BDNF polymorphism and hippocampal volumes. For each BDNF genotype, the hippocampal volumes were significantly lower in neuropsychiatric patients than in healthy controls.
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Affiliation(s)
- F Harrisberger
- University of Basel, Department of Psychiatry (UPK), Wilhelm Klein-Strasse 27, 4056 Basel, Switzerland; University of Basel, Department of Clinical Research (DKF), 4031 Basel, Switzerland
| | - R Smieskova
- University of Basel, Department of Psychiatry (UPK), Wilhelm Klein-Strasse 27, 4056 Basel, Switzerland; University of Basel, Department of Clinical Research (DKF), 4031 Basel, Switzerland
| | - A Schmidt
- University of Basel, Department of Psychiatry (UPK), Wilhelm Klein-Strasse 27, 4056 Basel, Switzerland; University of Basel, Department of Clinical Research (DKF), 4031 Basel, Switzerland
| | - C Lenz
- University of Basel, Department of Psychiatry (UPK), Wilhelm Klein-Strasse 27, 4056 Basel, Switzerland; University of Basel, Department of Clinical Research (DKF), 4031 Basel, Switzerland
| | - A Walter
- University of Basel, Department of Psychiatry (UPK), Wilhelm Klein-Strasse 27, 4056 Basel, Switzerland; University of Basel, Department of Clinical Research (DKF), 4031 Basel, Switzerland
| | - K Wittfeld
- German Centre for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Rostock/Greifswald, Germany
| | - H J Grabe
- German Centre for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Rostock/Greifswald, Germany; Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medicine Greifswald, Helios Hospital Stralsund, Stralsund, Germany
| | - U E Lang
- University of Basel, Department of Psychiatry (UPK), Wilhelm Klein-Strasse 27, 4056 Basel, Switzerland; University of Basel, Department of Clinical Research (DKF), 4031 Basel, Switzerland
| | - P Fusar-Poli
- King's College London, Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry Psychology and Neuroscience, De Crespigny Park 16, SE58AF London, UK; OASIS Prodromal Team SLaM NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | - S Borgwardt
- University of Basel, Department of Psychiatry (UPK), Wilhelm Klein-Strasse 27, 4056 Basel, Switzerland; University of Basel, Department of Clinical Research (DKF), 4031 Basel, Switzerland; King's College London, Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry Psychology and Neuroscience, De Crespigny Park 16, SE58AF London, UK.
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21
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Vijayakumari AA, John JP, Halahalli HN, Paul P, Thirunavukkarasu P, Purushottam M, Jain S. Effect of polymorphisms of three genes mediating monoamine signalling on brain morphometry in schizophrenia and healthy subjects. CLINICAL PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY AND NEUROSCIENCE 2015; 13:68-82. [PMID: 25912540 PMCID: PMC4423152 DOI: 10.9758/cpn.2015.13.1.68] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2014] [Revised: 08/18/2014] [Accepted: 10/19/2014] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE We examined the effect of risk alleles of polymorphisms of three schizophrenia risk genes that mediate monoamine signalling in the brain on regional brain volumes of schizophrenia and healthy control subjects. The risk alleles and the gene polymorphisms studied were: Val allele of catechol o-methyltransferase (COMT) rs4680 polymorphism; short allele of 5-hydroxy tryptamine transporter linked polymorphic region (5HTTLPR) polymorphism; and T allele of 5-hydroxy tryptamine 2A (5HT2A) rs6314 polymorphism. METHODS The study was carried out on patients with recent onset schizophrenia (n=41) recruited from the outpatient department of National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bangalore, India and healthy control subjects (n=39), belonging to South Indian Dravidian ethnicity. Individual and additive effects of risk alleles of the above gene polymorphisms on brain morphometry were explored using voxel-based morphometry. RESULTS Irrespective of phenotypes, individuals with the risk allele T of the rs6314 polymorphism of 5HT2A gene showed greater (at cluster-extent equivalent to family wise error-correction [FWEc] p<0.05) regional brain volumes in the left inferior temporal and left inferior occipital gyri. Those with the risk alleles of the other two polymorphisms showed a trend (at p<0.001, uncorrected) towards lower regional brain volumes. A trend (at p<0.001, uncorrected) towards additive effects of the above 3 risk alleles (subjects with 2 or 3 risk alleles vs. those with 1 or no risk alleles) on brain morphology was also noted. CONCLUSIONS The findings of the present study have implications in understanding the role of individual and additive effects of genetic variants in mediating regional brain morphometry in health and disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anupa A Vijayakumari
- Multimodal Brain Image Analysis Laboratory (MBIAL), India.,Departments of Psychiatry, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Bangalore, India
| | - John P John
- Multimodal Brain Image Analysis Laboratory (MBIAL), India.,Departments of Psychiatry, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Bangalore, India.,Departments of Clinical Neuroscience, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Bangalore, India
| | - Harsha N Halahalli
- Departments of Neurophysiology, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Bangalore, India
| | - Pradip Paul
- Departments of Psychiatry, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Bangalore, India
| | - Priyadarshini Thirunavukkarasu
- Multimodal Brain Image Analysis Laboratory (MBIAL), India.,Departments of Psychiatry, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Bangalore, India
| | - Meera Purushottam
- Departments of Psychiatry, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Bangalore, India
| | - Sanjeev Jain
- Departments of Psychiatry, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Bangalore, India
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Suárez-Pinilla P, Roíz-Santiañez R, Mata I, Ortiz-García de la Foz V, Brambilla P, Fañanas L, Valle-San Román N, Crespo-Facorro B. Progressive Structural Brain Changes and NRG1 Gene Variants in First-Episode Nonaffective Psychosis. Neuropsychobiology 2015; 71:103-111. [PMID: 25871612 DOI: 10.1159/000370075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2014] [Accepted: 11/11/2014] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Structural brain abnormalities are already present during the early phases of psychosis, but factors underlying brain volume changes are still not well understood. The neuregulin 1 gene (NRG1), influencing neurodevelopment and neuroplasticity, has been associated with schizophrenia. Our aim was to examine whether variations in the NRG1 gene (SNP8NRG221132, SNP8NRG6221533 and SNP8NRG243177 polymorphisms) influence longitudinal changes in the brain during a first episode of psychosis (FEP). METHODS A 3-year follow-up magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) study was performed. Fifty-nine minimally medicated patients who were experiencing FEP and 14 healthy control individuals underwent genotyping and structural brain MRI at baseline and at 1- and 3-year follow-up. A comparison of brain volumes, gray matter, white matter (WM), lateral ventricles (LV), cortical cerebrospinal fluid, and thalamus and caudate was made between the groups according to their genotype. RESULTS In patients, the SNP8NRG6221533 risk C allele was significantly associated with increased LV volume across time. C allele carriers had significantly less WM compared with subjects homozygous for the T allele after the follow-up. No other significant differences were observed among subgroups. No significant changes according to the genotypes were found in healthy individuals. CONCLUSION Our findings suggest that variations of neurodevelopment-related genes, such as the NRG1 gene, can contribute to brain abnormalities described in early phases of schizophrenia and progressive changes during the initial years of the illness. To our knowledge, it is the first time that a relation between NRG1 polymorphisms and longitudinal brain changes is reported. © 2015 S. Karger AG, Basel.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paula Suárez-Pinilla
- Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital Marqués de Valdecilla, School of Medicine, University of Cantabria, Santander, Spain
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Strube W, Nitsche MA, Wobrock T, Bunse T, Rein B, Herrmann M, Schmitt A, Nieratschker V, Witt SH, Rietschel M, Falkai P, Hasan A. BDNF-Val66Met-polymorphism impact on cortical plasticity in schizophrenia patients: a proof-of-concept study. Int J Neuropsychopharmacol 2015; 18:pyu040. [PMID: 25612896 PMCID: PMC4360229 DOI: 10.1093/ijnp/pyu040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) has been shown to be a moderator of neuroplasticity. A frequent BDNF-polymorphism (Val66Met) is associated with impairments of cortical plasticity. In patients with schizophrenia, reduced neuroplastic responses following non-invasive brain stimulation have been reported consistently. Various studies have indicated a relationship between the BDNF-Val66Met-polymorphism and motor-cortical plasticity in healthy individuals, but schizophrenia patients have yet to be investigated. The aim of this proof-of-concept study was, therefore, to test the impact of the BDNF-Val66Met-polymorphism on inhibitory and facilitatory cortical plasticity in schizophrenia patients. METHODS Cortical plasticity was investigated in 22 schizophrenia patients and 35 healthy controls using anodal and cathodal transcranial direct-current stimulation (tDCS) applied to the left primary motor cortex. Animal and human research indicates that excitability shifts following anodal and cathodal tDCS are related to molecular long-term potentiation and long-term depression. To test motor-cortical excitability before and after tDCS, well-established single- and paired-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation protocols were applied. RESULTS Our analysis revealed increased glutamate-mediated intracortical facilitation in met-heterozygotes compared to val-homozygotes at baseline. Following cathodal tDCS, schizophrenia met-heterozygotes had reduced gamma-amino-butyric-acid-mediated short-interval intracortical inhibition, whereas healthy met-heterozygotes displayed the opposite effect. The BDNF-Val66Met-polymorphism did not influence single-pulse motor-evoked potential amplitudes after tDCS. CONCLUSIONS These preliminary findings support the notion of an association of the BDNF-Val66Met-polymorphism with observable alterations in plasticity following cathodal tDCS in schizophrenia patients. This indicates a complex interaction between inhibitory intracortical interneuron-networks, cortical plasticity, and the BDNF-Val66Met-polymorphism. Further replication and validation need to be dedicated to this question to confirm this relationship.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wolfgang Strube
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Ludwig Maximilian University, Munich, Germany (Dr Strube, Bunse, Schmitt, Falkai, and Hasan); Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, University of Goettingen, Goettingen, Germany (Dr Nitsche); Centre of Mental Health, Darmstadt-Dieburg Clinics, Groß-Umstadt, Germany (Dr Wobrock); Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Goettingen, Goettingen, Germany (Drs Wobrock, Rein, and Herrmann); Laboratory of Neuroscience (LIM27), Institute of Psychiatry, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil (Dr Schmitt); Department of Genetic Epidemiology in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health Mannheim Medical Faculty Mannheim/Heidelberg University, Germany and Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany (Dr Nieratschker); Department of Genetic Epidemiology in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim/Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany (Drs Witt and Rietschel).
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Lamb YN, McKay NS, Thompson CS, Hamm JP, Waldie KE, Kirk IJ. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor Val66Met polymorphism, human memory, and synaptic neuroplasticity. WILEY INTERDISCIPLINARY REVIEWS. COGNITIVE SCIENCE 2014; 6:97-108. [PMID: 26263066 DOI: 10.1002/wcs.1334] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2013] [Revised: 10/20/2014] [Accepted: 11/07/2014] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Some people have much better memory than others, and there is compelling evidence that a considerable proportion of this variation in memory ability is genetically inherited. A form of synaptic plasticity known as long-term potentiation (LTP) is the principal candidate mechanism underlying memory formation in neural circuits, and it might be expected, therefore, that a genetic influence on the degree of LTP might in turn influence memory abilities. Of the genetic variations thought to significantly influence mnemonic ability in humans, the most likely to have its effect via LTP is a single nucleotide polymorphism affecting brain-derived neurotrophic factor [BDNF (Val66Met)]. However, although it is likely that BDNF influences memory via a modulation of acute plasticity (i.e., LTP), BDNF also has considerable influence on structural development of neural systems. Thus, the influence of BDNF (Val66Met) on mnemonic performance via influences of brain structure as well as function must also be considered. In this brief review, we will describe the phenomenon of LTP and its study in non-human animals. We will discuss the relatively recent attempts to translate this work to studies in humans. We will describe how this has enabled investigation of the effect of the BDNF polymorphism on LTP, on brain structure, and on memory performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yvette N Lamb
- School of Psychology, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Nicole S McKay
- School of Psychology, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | | | - Jeffrey P Hamm
- School of Psychology, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Karen E Waldie
- School of Psychology, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Ian J Kirk
- School of Psychology, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
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Abstract
Hippocampal volume loss has been related to chronic stress as well as genetic factors. Although genetic and environmental variables affecting hippocampal volume have extensively been studied and related to mental illness, limited evidence is available with respect to G × E interactions on hippocampal volume. The present MRI study investigated interaction effects on hippocampal volume between three well-studied functional genetic variants (COMT Val158Met, BDNF Val66Met, 5-HTTLPR) associated with hippocampal volume and a measure of environmental adversity (life events questionnaire) in a large sample of healthy humans (n = 153). All three variants showed significant interactions with environmental adversity with respect to hippocampal volume. Observed effects were additive by nature and driven by both recent as well as early life events. A consecutive analysis of hippocampal subfields revealed a spatially distinct profile for each genetic variant suggesting a specific role of 5-HTTLPR for the subiculum, BDNF Val66Met for CA4/dentate gyrus, and COMT Val158Met for CA2/3 volume changes. The present study underscores the importance of G × E interactions as determinants of hippocampal volume, which is crucial for the neurobiological understanding of stress-related conditions, such as mood disorders or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
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Harrisberger F, Spalek K, Smieskova R, Schmidt A, Coynel D, Milnik A, Fastenrath M, Freytag V, Gschwind L, Walter A, Vogel T, Bendfeldt K, de Quervain DJF, Papassotiropoulos A, Borgwardt S. The association of the BDNF Val66Met polymorphism and the hippocampal volumes in healthy humans: a joint meta-analysis of published and new data. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2014; 42:267-78. [PMID: 24674929 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2014.03.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2013] [Revised: 02/17/2014] [Accepted: 03/16/2014] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) Val66Met polymorphism (refSNP Cluster Report: rs6265) is a common and functionally relevant single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP). The gene itself, as well as the SNP rs6265, have been implicated in hippocampal learning and memory. However, imaging genetic studies have produced controversial results about the impact of this SNP on hippocampal volumes in healthy subjects. METHODS We examined the association between the rs6265 polymorphism and hippocampal volume in 643 healthy young subjects using automatic segmentation and subsequently included these data in a meta-analysis based on published studies with 5298 healthy subjects in total. RESULTS We found no significant association between SNP rs6265 and hippocampal volumes in our sample (g=0.05, p=0.58). The meta-analysis revealed a small, albeit significant difference in hippocampal volumes between genotype groups, such that Met-carriers had slightly smaller hippocampal volumes than Val/Val homozygotes (g=0.09, p=0.04), an association that was only evident when manual (g=0.22, p=0.01) but not automatic tracing approaches (g=0.04, p=0.38) were used. Studies using manual tracing showed evidence for publication bias and a significant decrease in effect size over the years with increasing sample sizes. CONCLUSIONS This study does not support the association between SNP rs6265 and hippocampal volume in healthy individuals. The weakly significant effect observed in the meta-analysis is mainly driven by studies with small sample sizes. In contrast, our original data and the meta-analysis of automatically segmented hippocampal volumes, which was based on studies with large samples sizes, revealed no significant genotype effect. Thus, meta-analyses of the association between rs6265 and hippocampal volumes should consider possible biases related to measuring technique and sample size.
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Affiliation(s)
- F Harrisberger
- University of Basel, Department of Psychiatry (UPK), Wilhelm Klein-Strasse 27, 4056 Basel, Switzerland; University Hospital Basel, Medical Image Analysis Center, Schanzenstrasse 55, 4031 Basel, Switzerland
| | - K Spalek
- University of Basel, Department of Psychology, Division of Cognitive Neuroscience, Birmannsgasse 8, 4055 Basel, Switzerland
| | - R Smieskova
- University of Basel, Department of Psychiatry (UPK), Wilhelm Klein-Strasse 27, 4056 Basel, Switzerland; University Hospital Basel, Medical Image Analysis Center, Schanzenstrasse 55, 4031 Basel, Switzerland
| | - A Schmidt
- University of Basel, Department of Psychiatry (UPK), Wilhelm Klein-Strasse 27, 4056 Basel, Switzerland; University Hospital Basel, Medical Image Analysis Center, Schanzenstrasse 55, 4031 Basel, Switzerland
| | - D Coynel
- University of Basel, Department of Psychology, Division of Cognitive Neuroscience, Birmannsgasse 8, 4055 Basel, Switzerland; University of Basel, Department of Psychology, Division of Molecular Neuroscience, Birmannsgasse 8, 4055 Basel, Switzerland
| | - A Milnik
- University of Basel, Department of Psychology, Division of Molecular Neuroscience, Birmannsgasse 8, 4055 Basel, Switzerland
| | - M Fastenrath
- University of Basel, Department of Psychology, Division of Cognitive Neuroscience, Birmannsgasse 8, 4055 Basel, Switzerland
| | - V Freytag
- University of Basel, Department of Psychology, Division of Molecular Neuroscience, Birmannsgasse 8, 4055 Basel, Switzerland
| | - L Gschwind
- University of Basel, Department of Psychology, Division of Cognitive Neuroscience, Birmannsgasse 8, 4055 Basel, Switzerland
| | - A Walter
- University of Basel, Department of Psychiatry (UPK), Wilhelm Klein-Strasse 27, 4056 Basel, Switzerland
| | - T Vogel
- University of Basel, Department of Psychiatry (UPK), Wilhelm Klein-Strasse 27, 4056 Basel, Switzerland
| | - K Bendfeldt
- University Hospital Basel, Medical Image Analysis Center, Schanzenstrasse 55, 4031 Basel, Switzerland
| | - D J-F de Quervain
- University of Basel, Department of Psychiatry (UPK), Wilhelm Klein-Strasse 27, 4056 Basel, Switzerland; University of Basel, Department of Psychology, Division of Cognitive Neuroscience, Birmannsgasse 8, 4055 Basel, Switzerland
| | - A Papassotiropoulos
- University of Basel, Department of Psychiatry (UPK), Wilhelm Klein-Strasse 27, 4056 Basel, Switzerland; University of Basel, Department of Psychology, Division of Molecular Neuroscience, Birmannsgasse 8, 4055 Basel, Switzerland; University of Basel, Department Biozentrum, Life Science Training Facility, Klingelbergstrasse 50/70, 4056 Basel, Switzerland
| | - S Borgwardt
- University of Basel, Department of Psychiatry (UPK), Wilhelm Klein-Strasse 27, 4056 Basel, Switzerland; University Hospital Basel, Medical Image Analysis Center, Schanzenstrasse 55, 4031 Basel, Switzerland; King's College London, Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, De Crespigny Park 16, SE5 8AF London, UK.
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Schoepf D, Uppal H, Potluri R, Heun R. Physical comorbidity and its relevance on mortality in schizophrenia: a naturalistic 12-year follow-up in general hospital admissions. Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci 2014; 264:3-28. [PMID: 23942824 DOI: 10.1007/s00406-013-0436-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 94] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2013] [Accepted: 07/26/2013] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Schizophrenia is a major psychotic disorder with significant comorbidity and mortality. Patients with schizophrenia are said to suffer more type-2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and diabetogenic complications. However, there is little consistent evidence that comorbidity with physical diseases leads to excess mortality in schizophrenic patients. Consequently, we investigated whether the burden of physical comorbidity and its relevance on hospital mortality differed between patients with and without schizophrenia in a 12-year follow-up in general hospital admissions. During 1 January 2000 and 31 June 2012, 1418 adult patients with schizophrenia were admitted to three General Manchester NHS Hospitals. All comorbid diseases with a prevalemce ≥1% were compared with those of 14,180 age- and gender-matched hospital controls. Risk factors, i.e. comorbid diseases that were predictors for general hospital mortality were identified using multivariate logistic regression analyses. Compared with controls, schizophrenic patients had a higher proportion of emergency admissions (69.8 vs. 43.0%), an extended average length of stay at index hospitalization (8.1 vs. 3.4 days), a higher number of hospital admissions (11.5 vs. 6.3), a shorter length of survival (1895 vs. 2161 days), and a nearly twofold increased mortality rate (18.0 vs. 9.7%). Schizophrenic patients suffered more depression, T2DM, alcohol abuse, asthma, COPD, and twenty-three more diseases, many of them diabetic-related complications or other environmentally influenced conditions. In contrast, hypertension, cataract, angina, and hyperlipidaemia were less prevalent in the schizophrenia population compared to the control population. In deceased schizophrenic patients, T2DM was the most frequently recorded comorbidity, contributing to 31.4% of hospital deaths (only 14.4% of schizophrenic patients with comorbid T2DM survived the study period). Further predictors of general hospital mortality in schizophrenia were found to be alcoholic liver disease (OR = 10.3), parkinsonism (OR = 5.0), T1DM (OR = 3.8), non-specific renal failure (OR = 3.5), ischaemic stroke (OR = 3.3), pneumonia (OR = 3.0), iron-deficiency anaemia (OR = 2.8), COPD (OR = 2.8), and bronchitis (OR = 2.6). There were no significant differences in their impact on hospital mortality compared to control subjects with the same diseases except parkinsonism which was associated with higher mortality in the schizophrenia population compared with the control population. The prevalence of parkinsonism was significantly elevated in the 255 deceased schizophrenic patients (5.5 %) than in those 1,163 surviving the study period (0.8 %, OR = 5.0) and deceased schizophrenic patients had significantly more suffered extrapyramidal symptoms than deceased control subjects (5.5 vs. 1.5 %). Therefore patients with schizophrenia have a higher burden of physical comorbidity that is associated with a worse outcome in a 12-year follow-up of mortality in general hospitals compared with hospital controls. However, schizophrenic patients die of the same physical diseases as their peers without schizophrenia. The most relevant physical risk factors of general hospital mortality are T2DM, COPD and infectious respiratory complications, iron-deficiency anaemia, T1DM, unspecific renal failure, ischaemic stroke, and alcoholic liver disease. Additionally, parkinsonism is a major risk factor for general hospital mortality in schizophrenia. Thus, optimal monitoring and management of acute T2DM and COPD with its infectious respiratory complications, as well as the accurate detection and management of iron-deficiency anaemia, of diabetic-related long-term micro- and macrovascular complications, of alcoholic liver disease, and of extrapyramidal symptoms are of utmost relevance in schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dieter Schoepf
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Bonn, Sigmund-Freud-Strasse 25, 53105, Bonn, Germany,
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Vascular endothelial growth factor and brain-derived neurotrophic factor in quetiapine treated first-episode psychosis. SCHIZOPHRENIA RESEARCH AND TREATMENT 2014; 2014:719395. [PMID: 24672724 PMCID: PMC3941155 DOI: 10.1155/2014/719395] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2013] [Revised: 10/07/2013] [Accepted: 10/14/2013] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Objective. It has been suggested that atypical antipsychotics confer their effects via brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). We investigated the effect of quetiapine on serum levels of BDNF and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in drug-naive first-episode psychosis subjects. Methods. Fifteen patients drawn from a larger study received quetiapine treatment for twelve weeks. Baseline levels of serum BDNF and VEGF were compared to age- and sex-matched healthy controls and to levels following treatment. Linear regression analyses were performed to determine the relationship of BDNF and VEGF levels with outcome measures at baseline and week 12. Results. The mean serum BDNF level was significantly higher at week 12 compared to baseline and correlated with reductions in Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) and general psychopathology scores. Changes in serum VEGF levels also correlated significantly with a reduction in BPRS scores, a significant improvement in PANNS positive symptoms scores, and displayed a positive relationship with changes in BDNF levels. Conclusions. Our findings suggest that BDNF and VEGF are potential biomarkers for gauging improvement of psychotic symptoms. This suggests a novel neurotrophic-based mechanism of the drug effects of quetiapine on psychosis. This is the first report of VEGF perturbation in psychosis.
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Ira E, Zanoni M, Ruggeri M, Dazzan P, Tosato S. COMT, neuropsychological function and brain structure in schizophrenia: a systematic review and neurobiological interpretation. J Psychiatry Neurosci 2013; 38:366-80. [PMID: 23527885 PMCID: PMC3819150 DOI: 10.1503/jpn.120178] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Endophenotypes in genetic psychiatry may increase our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying disease risk and its manifestations. We sought to investigate the link between neuropsychological impairments and brain structural abnormalities associated with the COMT Val(158)Met polymorphism in patients with schizophrenia to improve understanding of the pathophysiology of this disorder. METHODS We performed a systematic review using studies identified in PubMed and MEDLINE (from the date of the first available article to July 2012). Our review examined evidence of an association between the COMT Val(158)Met polymorphism and both neuropsychological performance and brain structure in patients with psychosis, in their relatives and in healthy individuals (step 1). The review also explored whether the neuropsychological tasks and brain structures identified in step 1 met the criteria for an endophenotype (step 2). Then we evaluated evidence that the neuropsychological endophenotypes identified in step 2 are associated with the brain structure endophenotypes identified in that step (step 3). Finally, we propose a neurobiological interpretation for this evidence. RESULTS A poorer performance on the n-back task and the Continuous Performance Test (CPT) and smaller temporal and frontal brain areas were associated with the COMT Val allele in patients with schizophrenia and their relatives and met most of the criteria for an endophenotype. It is possible that the COMT Val(158)Met polymorphism therefore contributes to the development of these neuropsychological and brain structural endophenotypes of schizophrenia, in which the prefrontal cortex may represent the neural substrate underlying both n-back and CPT performances. LIMITATIONS The association between a single genetic variant and an endophenotype does not necessarily imply a causal relationship between them. CONCLUSION This evidence and the proposed interpretation contribute to explain, at least in part, the biological substrate of 4 important endophenotypes that characterize schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisa Ira
- Correspondence to: E. Ira, Department of Public Health and Community Medicine, Section of Psychiatry, University of Verona, Policlinico G.B. Rossi, P.le L.A. Scuro 10, 37134 Verona, Italy;
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Tian T, Qin W, Liu B, Wang D, Wang J, Jiang T, Yu C. Catechol-O-methyltransferase Val158Met polymorphism modulates gray matter volume and functional connectivity of the default mode network. PLoS One 2013; 8:e78697. [PMID: 24147141 PMCID: PMC3797700 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0078697] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2013] [Accepted: 09/16/2013] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The effect of catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) Val158Met polymorphism on brain structure and function has been previously investigated separately and regionally; this prevents us from obtaining a full picture of the effect of this gene variant. Additionally, gender difference must not be overlooked because estrogen exerts an interfering effect on COMT activity. We examined 323 young healthy Chinese Han subjects and analyzed the gray matter volume (GMV) differences between Val/Val individuals and Met carriers in a voxel-wise manner throughout the whole brain. We were interested in genotype effects and genotype × gender interactions. We then extracted these brain regions with GMV differences as seeds to compute resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) with the rest of the brain; we also tested the genotypic differences and gender interactions in the rsFCs. Val/Val individuals showed decreased GMV in the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) compared with Met carriers; decreased GMV in the medial superior frontal gyrus (mSFG) was found only in male Val/Val subjects. The rsFC analysis revealed that both the PCC and mSFG were functionally correlated with brain regions of the default mode network (DMN). Both of these regions showed decreased rsFCs with different parts of the frontopolar cortex of the DMN in Val/Val individuals than Met carriers. Our findings suggest that the COMT Val158Met polymorphism modulates both the structure and functional connectivity within the DMN and that gender interactions should be considered in studies of the effect of this genetic variant, especially those involving prefrontal morphology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tian Tian
- Department of Radiology and Tianjin Key Laboratory of Functional Imaging, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin, China
| | - Wen Qin
- Department of Radiology and Tianjin Key Laboratory of Functional Imaging, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin, China
| | - Bing Liu
- Brainnetome Center, Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- National Laboratory of Pattern Recognition, Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Dawei Wang
- Department of Radiology and Tianjin Key Laboratory of Functional Imaging, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin, China
| | - Junping Wang
- Department of Radiology and Tianjin Key Laboratory of Functional Imaging, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin, China
| | - Tianzi Jiang
- Brainnetome Center, Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- National Laboratory of Pattern Recognition, Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Key Laboratory for NeuroInformation of Ministry of Education, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
- The Queensland Brain Institute, the University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Chunshui Yu
- Department of Radiology and Tianjin Key Laboratory of Functional Imaging, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin, China
- * E-mail:
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Wang Q, Xiang B, Deng W, Wu J, Li M, Ma X, Wang Y, Jiang L, McAlonan G, Chua SE, Sham PC, Hu X, Li T. Genome-wide association analysis with gray matter volume as a quantitative phenotype in first-episode treatment-naïve patients with schizophrenia. PLoS One 2013; 8:e75083. [PMID: 24086445 PMCID: PMC3782493 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0075083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2013] [Accepted: 08/09/2013] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Reduced Gray matter (GM) volume is a core feature of schizophrenia. Mapping genes that is associated with the heritable disease-related phenotypes may be conducive to elucidate the pathogenesis of schizophrenia. This study aims to identify the common genetic variants that underlie the deficits of GM volume in schizophrenia. High-resolution T1 images and whole genome genotyping data were obtained from 74 first-episode treatment-naïve patients with schizophrenia and 51 healthy controls in the Mental Health Centre of the West China Hospital, Sichuan University. All participants were scanned using a 3T MR imaging system and were genotyped using the HumanHap660 Bead Array. Reduced GM volumes in three brain areas including left hOC3v in the collateral sulcus of visual cortex (hOC3vL), left cerebellar vermis lobule 10 (vermisL10) and right cerebellar vermis lobule 10 (vermisR10) were found in patients with schizophrenia. There was a group by genotype interaction when genotypes from genome-wide scan were subsequently considered in the case-control analyses. SNPs from three genes or chromosomal regions (TBXAS1, PIK3C2G and HS3ST5) were identified to predict the changes of GM volume in hOC3vL, vermisL10 and vermisR10. These results also highlighted the usefulness of endophenotype in exploring the pathogenesis of neuropsychiatric diseases such as schizophrenia although further independent replication studies are needed in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiang Wang
- Mental Health Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, P R China
| | - Bo Xiang
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, Psychiatric Laboratory, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, P R China
| | - Wei Deng
- Mental Health Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, P R China
| | - Junyao Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, Psychiatric Laboratory, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, P R China
| | - Mingli Li
- Mental Health Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, P R China
| | - Xiaohong Ma
- Mental Health Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, P R China
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, Psychiatric Laboratory, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, P R China
| | - Yingcheng Wang
- Mental Health Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, P R China
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, Psychiatric Laboratory, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, P R China
| | - Lijun Jiang
- Mental Health Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, P R China
| | - Grainne McAlonan
- Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, King’s College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Siew E. Chua
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, P R China
| | - Pak C. Sham
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, P R China
| | - Xun Hu
- Biobank, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, P R China
- * E-mail: (XH); (TL)
| | - Tao Li
- Mental Health Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, P R China
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, Psychiatric Laboratory, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, P R China
- * E-mail: (XH); (TL)
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Suárez-Pinilla P, Roiz-Santiáñez R, de la Foz VOG, Mata I, Fañanas L, Brambilla P, Ruíz-Pérez E, Crespo-Facorro B. BDNF Val66Met variants and brain volume changes in non-affective psychosis patients and healthy controls: a 3 year follow-up study. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2013; 45:201-6. [PMID: 23748016 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2013.05.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2013] [Revised: 05/29/2013] [Accepted: 05/29/2013] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Functional gene polymorphisms modulating neuroplasticity might mediate brain longitudinal structural changes in schizophrenia. The present study aimed to explore possible effects of BDNF Val66Met polymorphism variations on progressive structural brain changes after 3 years from the first episode of psychosis. METHOD Patients were part of a large epidemiological and longitudinal intervention program of first-episode psychosis, carried out at the University Hospital Marqués de Valdecilla, Cantabria, Spain. Eighty first-episode patients and 54 healthy controls were included in the final analyses. Brain magnetic resonance imaging (baseline and 3-year follow-up) and BDNF genotype, and clinical and functional outcome were investigated. RESULTS We did not detect significant association between brain changes and BDNF Val66Met polymorphism variations in patients and controls (all p>0.060). At baseline, there were no significant associations between brain anomalies and BDNF genotype. Functional deficits were similar in Met-carrier and Val homozygote patients after 3-year follow-up (X(2) = 0.66; p = 0.564); there was no relationship between significant volume change across time and functional outcome. Otherwise, Met-carrier controls had significant high rates of alcohol-consumption (p = 0.019) compared to Val homozygote controls. CONCLUSION Our findings do not support the notion that BDNF genotype variations may mediate brain macroscopic morphological changes across time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paula Suárez-Pinilla
- Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital Marqués de Valdecilla, School of Medicine, University of Cantabria, Santander, Spain.
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Radua J, El-Hage W, Monté GC, Gohier B, Tropeano M, Phillips ML, Surguladze SA. COMT Val158Met × SLC6A4 5-HTTLPR interaction impacts on gray matter volume of regions supporting emotion processing. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2013; 9:1232-8. [PMID: 23748501 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nst089] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
There have been several reports on the association between the Val(158)Met genetic polymorphism of the catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) gene, as well as the serotonin transporter-linked polymorphic region (5-HTTLPR) of the serotonin transporter gene (SLC6A4), and frontolimbic region volumes, which have been suggested to underlie individual differences in emotion processing or susceptibility to emotional disorders. However, findings have been somewhat inconsistent. This study used diffeomorphic anatomic registration through exponentiated Lie algebra (DARTEL) whole-brain voxel-based morphometry to study the genetic effects of COMT Val(158)Met and SLC6A4 5-HTTLPR, as well as their interaction, on the regional gray matter volumes of a sample of 91 healthy volunteers. An interaction of COMT Val(158)Met × SLC6A4 5-HTTLPR genotypes with gray matter volume was found in bilateral parahippocampal gyrus, amygdala, hippocampus, vermis of cerebellum and right putamen/insula. In particular, the gray matter volume in these regions was smaller in individuals who were both COMT-Met and 5-HTTLPR-S carriers, or both COMT-Val and 5-HTTLPR-L homozygotes, as compared with individuals with intermediate combinations of alleles. The interaction of COMT Val(158)Met and SLC6A4 5-HTTLPR adds to the understanding of individual differences in emotion processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joaquim Radua
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, London, UK, Department of Neuroimaging Research, FIDMAG Germanes Hospitalàries, CIBERSAM, Barcelona, Spain, INSERM U930 ERL, Université François Rabelais, Tours, France, Département de Psychiatrie, CHU Angers, LPPL EA4638, Université Angers, Angers, France, MRC Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, UK, Department of Psychiatry, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, Department of Psychological Medicine, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff, UK, and Social and Affective Neuroscience Lab, Ilia State University, Tbilisi, GeorgiaDepartment of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, London, UK, Department of Neuroimaging Research, FIDMAG Germanes Hospitalàries, CIBERSAM, Barcelona, Spain, INSERM U930 ERL, Université François Rabelais, Tours, France, Département de Psychiatrie, CHU Angers, LPPL EA4638, Université Angers, Angers, France, MRC Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, UK, Department of Psychiatry, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, Department of Psychological Medicine, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff, UK, and Social and Affective Neuroscience Lab, Ilia State University, Tbilisi, Georgia
| | - Wissam El-Hage
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, London, UK, Department of Neuroimaging Research, FIDMAG Germanes Hospitalàries, CIBERSAM, Barcelona, Spain, INSERM U930 ERL, Université François Rabelais, Tours, France, Département de Psychiatrie, CHU Angers, LPPL EA4638, Université Angers, Angers, France, MRC Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, UK, Department of Psychiatry, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, Department of Psychological Medicine, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff, UK, and Social and Affective Neuroscience Lab, Ilia State University, Tbilisi, Georgia
| | - Gemma C Monté
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, London, UK, Department of Neuroimaging Research, FIDMAG Germanes Hospitalàries, CIBERSAM, Barcelona, Spain, INSERM U930 ERL, Université François Rabelais, Tours, France, Département de Psychiatrie, CHU Angers, LPPL EA4638, Université Angers, Angers, France, MRC Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, UK, Department of Psychiatry, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, Department of Psychological Medicine, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff, UK, and Social and Affective Neuroscience Lab, Ilia State University, Tbilisi, Georgia
| | - Benedicte Gohier
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, London, UK, Department of Neuroimaging Research, FIDMAG Germanes Hospitalàries, CIBERSAM, Barcelona, Spain, INSERM U930 ERL, Université François Rabelais, Tours, France, Département de Psychiatrie, CHU Angers, LPPL EA4638, Université Angers, Angers, France, MRC Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, UK, Department of Psychiatry, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, Department of Psychological Medicine, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff, UK, and Social and Affective Neuroscience Lab, Ilia State University, Tbilisi, Georgia
| | - Maria Tropeano
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, London, UK, Department of Neuroimaging Research, FIDMAG Germanes Hospitalàries, CIBERSAM, Barcelona, Spain, INSERM U930 ERL, Université François Rabelais, Tours, France, Département de Psychiatrie, CHU Angers, LPPL EA4638, Université Angers, Angers, France, MRC Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, UK, Department of Psychiatry, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, Department of Psychological Medicine, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff, UK, and Social and Affective Neuroscience Lab, Ilia State University, Tbilisi, Georgia
| | - Mary L Phillips
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, London, UK, Department of Neuroimaging Research, FIDMAG Germanes Hospitalàries, CIBERSAM, Barcelona, Spain, INSERM U930 ERL, Université François Rabelais, Tours, France, Département de Psychiatrie, CHU Angers, LPPL EA4638, Université Angers, Angers, France, MRC Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, UK, Department of Psychiatry, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, Department of Psychological Medicine, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff, UK, and Social and Affective Neuroscience Lab, Ilia State University, Tbilisi, GeorgiaDepartment of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, London, UK, Department of Neuroimaging Research, FIDMAG Germanes Hospitalàries, CIBERSAM, Barcelona, Spain, INSERM U930 ERL, Université François Rabelais, Tours, France, Département de Psychiatrie, CHU Angers, LPPL EA4638, Université Angers, Angers, France, MRC Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, UK, Department of Psychiatry, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, Department of Psychological Medicine, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff, UK, and Social and Affective Neuroscience Lab, Ilia State University, Tbilisi, Georgia
| | - Simon A Surguladze
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, London, UK, Department of Neuroimaging Research, FIDMAG Germanes Hospitalàries, CIBERSAM, Barcelona, Spain, INSERM U930 ERL, Université François Rabelais, Tours, France, Département de Psychiatrie, CHU Angers, LPPL EA4638, Université Angers, Angers, France, MRC Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, UK, Department of Psychiatry, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, Department of Psychological Medicine, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff, UK, and Social and Affective Neuroscience Lab, Ilia State University, Tbilisi, GeorgiaDepartment of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, London, UK, Department of Neuroimaging Research, FIDMAG Germanes Hospitalàries, CIBERSAM, Barcelona, Spain, INSERM U930 ERL, Université François Rabelais, Tours, France, Département de Psychiatrie, CHU Angers, LPPL EA4638, Université Angers, Angers, France, MRC Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, UK, Department of Psychiatry, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, Department of Psychological Medicine, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff, UK, and Social and Affective Neuroscience Lab, Ilia State University, Tbilisi, Georgia
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Genes and environments in schizophrenia: The different pieces of a manifold puzzle. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2013; 37:2424-37. [PMID: 23628741 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2013.04.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2013] [Accepted: 04/17/2013] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Genetic research targeting schizophrenia has undergone tremendous development during recent years. Supported by recently developed high-throughput genotyping technologies, both rare and common genetic variants have been identified that show consistent association with schizophrenia. These results have been replicated by independent studies and refined in meta-analyses. The genetic variation uncovered consists of common alleles, i.e. single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) conveying small effects (odds ratios below 1.1) on disease risk. The source of rare variants is copy number variations (CNVs), only detectable in a small proportion of patients (3-5% for all known CNVs) with schizophrenia, furthermore extremely rare de novo mutations captured by next generation sequencing, the most recent technological advancement in the field. Despite these findings, the search for the genetic architecture underlying schizophrenia continues since these variants explain only a small proportion of the overall phenotypic variance. Gene-environment interactions provide a compelling model for resolving this paradox and interpreting the risk factors of schizophrenia. Epidemiologically proven risk factors, such as prenatal infection, obstetric complications, urbanicity, cannabis, and trauma have been demonstrated to interact with genetic risk, giving rise to higher prevalence rates or more severe symptomatology in individuals with direct or indirect genetic predisposition for schizophrenia. Further research will have to explain how the different forms of genetic variation interact and how environmental factors modulate their effects. Moreover, the challenging question lying ahead of us is how genetic and environmental factors translate to molecular disease pathways. New approaches, including animal studies and in vitro disease modeling, as well as innovative real-world environment assessment methods, will help to understand the complex etiology of schizophrenia.
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Wang Y, Li J, Chen C, Chen C, Zhu B, Moysis RK, Lei X, Li H, Liu Q, Xiu D, Liu B, Chen W, Xue G, Dong Q. COMT rs4680 Met is not always the 'smart allele': Val allele is associated with better working memory and larger hippocampal volume in healthy Chinese. GENES BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR 2013; 12:323-9. [PMID: 23421762 DOI: 10.1111/gbb.12022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2012] [Revised: 10/10/2012] [Accepted: 01/14/2013] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) Val158Met (rs4680) polymorphism plays a crucial role in regulating brain dopamine level. Converging evidence from Caucasian samples showed that, compared with rs4680 Val allele, the Met allele was linked to lower COMT activity, which in turn was linked to better cognitive performance such as working memory (WM) and to a larger hippocampus (a brain region important for WM). However, some behavioral studies have shown that the function of rs4680 appears to vary across different ethnic groups, with Chinese subjects showing an opposite pattern as that for Caucasians (i.e. the Val allele is linked to better cognitive functions related to WM in Chinese). Using a sample of healthy Han Chinese college students (ages from 19 to 21 years), this study investigated the association of COMT Val158Met genotype with behavioral data on a two-back WM task (n = 443, 189M/254F) and T1 MRI data (n = 320, 134M/186F). Results showed that, compared to the Met allele, the Val allele was associated with larger hippocampal volume (the right hippocampus: β = -0.118, t = -2.367, P = 0.019, and the left hippocampus: β = -0.099, t = -1.949, P = 0.052) and better WM performance (β = -0.110, t = -2.315, P = 0.021). These results add to the growing literature on differentiated effects of COMT rs4680 polymorphism on WM across populations and offer a brain structural mechanism for such population-specific genetic effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Y Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
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Shaikh M, Hall MH, Schulze K, Dutt A, Li K, Williams I, Walshe M, Constante M, Broome M, Picchioni M, Toulopoulou T, Collier D, Stahl D, Rijsdijk F, Powell J, Murray RM, Arranz M, Bramon E. Effect of DISC1 on the P300 waveform in psychosis. Schizophr Bull 2013; 39:161-7. [PMID: 21878470 PMCID: PMC3523903 DOI: 10.1093/schbul/sbr101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Abnormalities in the neurophysiological measures P300 amplitude and latency constitute endophenotypes for psychosis. Disrupted-in-Schizophrenia-1 (DISC1) has been proposed as a promising susceptibility gene for schizophrenia, and a previous study has suggested that it is associated with P300 deficits in schizophrenia. METHODS We examined the role of variation in DISC1 polymorphisms on the P300 endophenotype in a large sample of patients with schizophrenia or psychotic bipolar disorder (n = 149), their unaffected relatives (n = 130), and unrelated healthy controls (n = 208) using linear regression and haplotype analysis. RESULTS Significant associations between P300 amplitude and latency and DISC1 polymorphisms/haplotypes were found. Those homozygous for the A allele of single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs821597 displayed significantly reduced P300 amplitudes in comparison with homozygous for the G allele (P = .009) and the heterozygous group (P = .018). Haplotype analysis showed a significant association for DISC1 haplotypes (rs3738401|rs6675281|rs821597|rs821616|rs967244|rs980989) and P300 latency. Haplotype GCGTCG and ACGTTT were associated with shorter latencies. DISCUSSION The P300 waveform appears to be modulated by variation in individual SNPs and haplotypes of DISC1. Because DISC1 is involved in neurodevelopment, one hypothesis is that disruption in neural connectivity impairs cognitive processes illustrated by P300 deficits observed in this sample.
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Affiliation(s)
- Madiha Shaikh
- Department of Psychosis Studies, NIHR Biomedical Research Centre for Mental Health at the Institute of Psychiatry, King's College Londonand The South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London SE58AF, UK.
| | - Mei-Hua Hall
- Psychology Research Laboratory, Harvard Medical School, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA
| | - Katja Schulze
- Department of Psychosis Studies, NIHR Biomedical Research Centre for Mental Health at the Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London and The South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London SE5 8AF, UK
| | - Anirban Dutt
- Department of Psychosis Studies, NIHR Biomedical Research Centre for Mental Health at the Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London and The South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London SE5 8AF, UK
| | - Kuang Li
- Department of Psychosis Studies, NIHR Biomedical Research Centre for Mental Health at the Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London and The South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London SE5 8AF, UK
| | - Ian Williams
- Department of Psychosis Studies, NIHR Biomedical Research Centre for Mental Health at the Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London and The South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London SE5 8AF, UK
| | - Muriel Walshe
- Department of Psychosis Studies, NIHR Biomedical Research Centre for Mental Health at the Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London and The South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London SE5 8AF, UK
| | - Miguel Constante
- Department of Psychosis Studies, NIHR Biomedical Research Centre for Mental Health at the Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London and The South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London SE5 8AF, UK
| | - Matthew Broome
- Department of Psychosis Studies, NIHR Biomedical Research Centre for Mental Health at the Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London and The South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London SE5 8AF, UK
| | - Marco Picchioni
- St Andrew’s Academic Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, King’s College London, Northampton, UK
| | - Timothea Toulopoulou
- Department of Psychosis Studies, NIHR Biomedical Research Centre for Mental Health at the Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London and The South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London SE5 8AF, UK
| | - David Collier
- Department of Psychosis Studies, NIHR Biomedical Research Centre for Mental Health at the Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London and The South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London SE5 8AF, UK,Medical Research Council, Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Research Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College, London, UK
| | - Daniel Stahl
- Department of Psychosis Studies, NIHR Biomedical Research Centre for Mental Health at the Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London and The South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London SE5 8AF, UK
| | - Fruhling Rijsdijk
- Medical Research Council, Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Research Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College, London, UK
| | - John Powell
- Department of Psychosis Studies, NIHR Biomedical Research Centre for Mental Health at the Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London and The South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London SE5 8AF, UK
| | - Robin M. Murray
- Department of Psychosis Studies, NIHR Biomedical Research Centre for Mental Health at the Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London and The South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London SE5 8AF, UK
| | - Maria Arranz
- Department of Psychosis Studies, NIHR Biomedical Research Centre for Mental Health at the Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London and The South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London SE5 8AF, UK
| | - Elvira Bramon
- Department of Psychosis Studies, NIHR Biomedical Research Centre for Mental Health at the Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London and The South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London SE5 8AF, UK
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Price JS, Strong J, Eliassen J, McQueeny T, Miller M, Padula CB, Shear P, Lisdahl K. Serotonin transporter gene moderates associations between mood, memory and hippocampal volume. Behav Brain Res 2012; 242:158-65. [PMID: 23266326 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2012.11.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2012] [Revised: 11/08/2012] [Accepted: 11/12/2012] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The short (S) allele of the serotonin transporter gene (5-HTTLPR) is associated with reduced serotonin turnover compared to the long (L) allele in Caucasians. Few studies have examined its impact on memory and brain structure in healthy young adults. METHODS Participants included 51 healthy young adults (25 female; ages 18-25). Multiple regressions examined the independent contribution of 5-HTTLPR biomarker genotype and its interactions with gender and sub-clinical depressive symptoms on hippocampal volumes and memory. RESULTS The 5-HTTLPR genotype significantly interacted with gender in predicting larger left hippocampal volumes in S-carrying females and smaller hippocampal volumes in males (p<.03). Gender also moderated the impact of the 5-HTTLPR on neurocognition. In females, S allele carriers had poorer visual recall compared to L carriers (p<.05). A three-way interaction between 5-HTTLPR, gender, and depressive symptoms was also observed (p<.04). In females, larger left hippocampal volumes were associated with increased depressive symptoms while the opposite was seen in males. Finally, in male and female S carriers, increased depressive symptoms were marginally associated with poorer verbal memory (p<.09). CONCLUSIONS In females, the 5-HTTLPR S allele was associated with poorer memory performance, increased depressive symptoms and larger hippocampal volumes. In males, the S allele predicted smaller hippocampal volumes and increased depressive symptoms. The opposite morphometric patterns likely reflect gender differences in adolescent hippocampal development. Larger longitudinal studies are needed to examine whether the impact of 5-HTTLPR genotype on neurocognition across development differs according to extent of mood symptoms and gender.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jenessa S Price
- University of Cincinnati, Departments of Psychology, United States
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Effect of BDNF val66met polymorphism on declarative memory and its neural substrate: A meta-analysis. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2012; 36:2165-77. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2012.07.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 102] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2011] [Revised: 03/16/2012] [Accepted: 07/07/2012] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
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The association of white matter volume in psychotic disorders with genotypic variation in NRG1, MOG and CNP: a voxel-based analysis in affected individuals and their unaffected relatives. Transl Psychiatry 2012; 2:e167. [PMID: 23032943 PMCID: PMC3565820 DOI: 10.1038/tp.2012.82] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
We investigated the role of variation in putative psychosis genes coding for elements of the white matter system by examining the contribution of genotypic variation in three single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) neuregulin 1 (NRG1) SNP8NRG221533, myelin oligodendrocytes glycoprotein (MOG) rs2857766 and CNP (rs2070106) and one haplotype HAP(ICE) (deCODE) to white matter volume in patients with psychotic disorder and their unaffected relatives. Structural magnetic resonance imaging and blood samples for genotyping were collected on 189 participants including patients with schizophrenia (SZ) or bipolar I disorder (BDI), unaffected first-degree relatives of these patients and healthy volunteers. The association of genotypic variation with white matter volume was assessed using voxel-based morphometry in SPM5. The NRG1 SNP and the HAP(ICE) haplotype were associated with abnormal white matter volume in the BDI group in the fornix, cingulum and parahippocampal gyrus circuit. In SZ the NRG1 SNP risk allele was associated with lower white matter volume in the uncinate fasciculus (UF), right inferior longitudinal fasciculus and the anterior limb of the internal capsule. Healthy G-homozygotes of the MOG SNP had greater white matter volume in areas of the brainstem and cerebellum; this relationship was absent in those with a psychotic disorder and the unaffected relatives groups. The CNP SNP did not contribute to white matter volume variation in the diagnostic groups studied. Variation in the genes coding for structural and protective components of myelin are implicated in abnormal white matter volume in the emotion circuitry of the cingulum, fornix, parahippocampal gyrus and UF in psychotic disorders.
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Molendijk ML, Bus BAA, Spinhoven P, Kaimatzoglou A, Oude Voshaar RC, Penninx BWJH, van IJzendoorn MH, Elzinga BM. A systematic review and meta-analysis on the association between BDNF val(66)met and hippocampal volume--a genuine effect or a winners curse? Am J Med Genet B Neuropsychiatr Genet 2012; 159B:731-40. [PMID: 22815222 DOI: 10.1002/ajmg.b.32078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 76] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2012] [Accepted: 06/28/2012] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Inconsistenties have been reported with regard to an association between val(66)met, a polymorphism on the BDNF gene, and hippocampal volume. We performed a systematic review and a meta-analysis to determine the magnitude and direction of this putative association and estimated the potential influence of demographic, clinical, and methodological characteristics of studies. Tests of publication bias and time-related trends were performed and statistical power of the included studies was calculated. The literature search for MRI studies on differences in total hippocampal volume as a function of BDNF val(66)met returned 25 records that fulfilled our criteria (total N = 3,620). Meta-analysis showed that carriers of a met allele had lower hippocampal volumes relative to val/val homozygotes (d = 0.13, P = 0.02). Between-study heterogeneity in effect size estimates was substantial (Q = 54.47, P < .001) and this could not be explained by demographic, clinical, and methodological differences across studies. Funnel plot inspection and trim-and-fill estimations suggested evidence for publication bias and effect sizes decreased substantially over the years (Pearson's r = -0.54, P < .01). All included studies were underpowered. This meta-analysis shows that carriers of a met allele have lower total hippocampal volumes relative to val/val homozygotes. However, effect sizes converged closer to null with virtually each attempt at replication and were based on underpowered studies. Altogether, this may call into question whether the observed effect is a genuine biological effect of the met allele or whether it is subject to a winners curse, with large effect sizes found in a few early studies and increasingly smaller effect sizes in later studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marc L Molendijk
- Clinical, Health, and Neuropsychology Unit, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands.
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Abstract
Biomarkers are chemical and physiologic parameters that can provide reliable and predictive information about the course and treatment of a given illness. Biomarkers are being increasingly sought after in other medical conditions, and in some instances (eg, breast cancer therapy) are beginning to be incorporated into clinical decision making. There is a confluence of research investigating potential biomarkers for schizophrenia. This article reviews early progress and strategies for evaluating biomarkers, as well as how this approach can advance the treatment of schizophrenia toward personalized medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anilkumar Pillai
- Department of Psychiatry and Health Behavior, Medical College of Georgia, Georgia Health Sciences University, 997 Saint Sebastian Way, Augusta, GA 30912, USA
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Sex modulates the interactive effect of the serotonin transporter gene polymorphism and childhood adversity on hippocampal volume. Neuropsychopharmacology 2012; 37:1848-55. [PMID: 22434222 PMCID: PMC3376317 DOI: 10.1038/npp.2012.32] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
The common genetic variation of the serotonin transporter-linked polymorphic region (5-HTTLPR) has been related to depressive symptoms, in particular after stressful life events. Although it has been investigated in the past, results suggesting that the 5-HTTLPR genotype also affects hippocampal volume are often inconsistent and it remains unclear to what extent reduced hippocampal volume is influenced by the effect of stressful life events and 5-HTTLPR genotype. Moreover, sex, which is known to affect the prevalence of depression substantially, has not been taken into account when trying to disentangle the interactive effect of common genetic variation and environmental stressors on the hippocampus. We investigated this potentially relevant three-way interaction using an automatic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-based segmentation of the hippocampus in 357 healthy individuals. We determined the 5-HTTLPR genotype as a biallelic locus and childhood adversity (CA) using a standard questionnaire. An interaction for hippocampal volume was found between the factors sex, genotype, and severe CA (p=0.010) as well as an interaction between genotype and severe CA (p=0.007) in men only. Post hoc tests revealed that only male S'-allele carriers with severe CA had smaller hippocampi (p=0.002). Interestingly, there was no main effect of genotype in men, while female S'-allele carriers had smaller hippocampi than L'L' carriers (p=0.023). Our results indicate that sex modulates the interactive effect of the 5-HTTLPR genotype and CA on hippocampal volume. While the S'-allele is associated with hippocampal volume independent of CA in women, men only have smaller hippocampi if they carry the risk allele and experienced severe CA.
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Walshe M, Vassos E, Picchioni M, Shaikh M, Toulopoulou T, Collier D, McDonald C, Murray R, Bramon E. The Association between COMT, BDNF, and NRG1 and Premorbid Social Functioning in Patients with Psychosis, Their Relatives, and Controls. SCIENTIFICA 2012; 2012:560514. [PMID: 24278715 PMCID: PMC3820633 DOI: 10.6064/2012/560514] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2012] [Accepted: 05/15/2012] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
We investigated the influences of putative candidate genes for psychosis on premorbid social adjustment and on premorbid schizoid-schizotypal traits. A family-based sample was used including 177 patients with schizophrenia or bipolar I disorder with a history of psychotic symptoms, 86 of their unaffected relatives, and 116 unrelated healthy controls. Association analyses on the combined sample were conducted using the Statistical Analysis for Genetic Epidemiology software (SAGE) and adjusting for age, sex, clinical group, and the family-based nature of the data. The COMT Val(158)Met and BDNF Val(66)Met polymorphisms showed no evidence of association with either phenotype. The SNP rs221533 of the NRG1 gene was significantly associated with premorbid adjustment in adolescence with TT homozygous subjects having a poorer performance than C allele carriers. In the context of neurodevelopmental disorders such as schizophrenia and other psychoses, this finding is plausible; however, it is preliminary and requires replication in an independent sample. In a broader sense, the use of intermediate quantitative phenotypes such as the ones presented in this study may be of help to understand the mechanism of action of genetic risk factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muriel Walshe
- NIHR Biomedical Research Centre for Mental Health, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and Institute of Psychiatry, Kings College London, P.O. Box 63, De Crespigny Park, London SE5 8AF, UK
| | - Evangelos Vassos
- NIHR Biomedical Research Centre for Mental Health, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and Institute of Psychiatry, Kings College London, P.O. Box 63, De Crespigny Park, London SE5 8AF, UK
| | - Marco Picchioni
- NIHR Biomedical Research Centre for Mental Health, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and Institute of Psychiatry, Kings College London, P.O. Box 63, De Crespigny Park, London SE5 8AF, UK
| | - Madiha Shaikh
- NIHR Biomedical Research Centre for Mental Health, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and Institute of Psychiatry, Kings College London, P.O. Box 63, De Crespigny Park, London SE5 8AF, UK
| | - Timothea Toulopoulou
- NIHR Biomedical Research Centre for Mental Health, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and Institute of Psychiatry, Kings College London, P.O. Box 63, De Crespigny Park, London SE5 8AF, UK
| | - David Collier
- NIHR Biomedical Research Centre for Mental Health, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and Institute of Psychiatry, Kings College London, P.O. Box 63, De Crespigny Park, London SE5 8AF, UK
| | - Colm McDonald
- Department of Psychiatry, Clinical Science Institute, National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland
| | - Robin Murray
- NIHR Biomedical Research Centre for Mental Health, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and Institute of Psychiatry, Kings College London, P.O. Box 63, De Crespigny Park, London SE5 8AF, UK
| | - Elvira Bramon
- NIHR Biomedical Research Centre for Mental Health, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and Institute of Psychiatry, Kings College London, P.O. Box 63, De Crespigny Park, London SE5 8AF, UK
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Lutkenhoff E, Karlsgodt KH, Gutman B, Stein JL, Thompson PM, Cannon TD, Jentsch JD. Structural and functional neuroimaging phenotypes in dysbindin mutant mice. Neuroimage 2012; 62:120-9. [PMID: 22584233 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2012.05.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2011] [Revised: 05/02/2012] [Accepted: 05/05/2012] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Schizophrenia is a highly heritable psychiatric disorder that is associated with a number of structural and functional neurophenotypes. DTNBP1, the gene encoding dysbindin-1, is a promising candidate gene for schizophrenia. Use of a mouse model carrying a large genomic deletion exclusively within the dysbindin gene permits a direct investigation of the gene in isolation. Here, we use manganese-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MEMRI) to explore the regional alterations in brain structure and function caused by loss of the gene encoding dysbindin-1. We report novel findings that uniquely inform our understanding of the relationship of dysbindin-1 to known schizophrenia phenotypes. First, in mutant mice, analysis of the rate of manganese uptake into the brain over a 24-hour period, putatively indexing basal cellular activity, revealed differences in dopamine rich brain regions, as well as in CA1 and dentate subregions of the hippocampus formation. Finally, novel tensor-based morphometry techniques were applied to the mouse MRI data, providing evidence for structural volume deficits in cortical regions, subiculum and dentate gyrus, and the striatum of dysbindin mutant mice. The affected cortical regions were primarily localized to the sensory cortices in particular the auditory cortex. This work represents the first application of manganese-enhanced small animal imaging to a mouse model of schizophrenia endophenotypes, and a novel combination of functional and structural measures. It revealed both hypothesized and novel structural and functional neural alterations related to dysbindin-1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evan Lutkenhoff
- Interdisciplinary Neuroscience Program, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
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Marballi K, Cruz D, Thompson P, Walss-Bass C. Differential neuregulin 1 cleavage in the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder: preliminary findings. PLoS One 2012; 7:e36431. [PMID: 22590542 PMCID: PMC3349664 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0036431] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2011] [Accepted: 04/02/2012] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Neuregulin 1 (NRG1) is a key candidate susceptibility gene for both schizophrenia (SCZ) and bipolar disorder (BPD). The function of the NRG1 transmembrane proteins is regulated by cleavage. Alteration of membrane bound-NRG1 cleavage has been previously shown to be associated with behavioral impairments in mouse models lacking expression of NRG1-cleavage enzymes such as BACE1 and gamma secretase. We sought to determine whether alterations in NRG1 cleavage and associated enzymes occur in patients with SCZ and BPD. Methodology/Principal Findings Using human postmortem brain, we evaluated protein expression of NRG1 cleavage products and enzymes that cleave at the external (BACE1, ADAM17, ADAM19) and internal (PS1-gamma secretase) sides of the cell membrane. We used three different cohorts (Controls, SCZ and BPD) and two distinct brain regions: BA9-prefrontal cortex (Controls (n = 6), SCZ (n = 6) and BPD (n = 6)) and hippocampus (Controls (n = 5), SCZ (n = 6) and BPD (n = 6)). In BA9, the ratio of the NRG1 N-terminal fragment relative to full length was significantly upregulated in the SCZ cohort (Bonferroni test, p = 0.011). ADAM17 was negatively correlated with full length NRG1 levels in the SCZ cohort (r = –0.926, p = 0.008). In the hippocampus we found significantly lower levels of a soluble 50 kDa NRG1 fragment in the two affected groups compared the control cohort (Bonferroni test, p = 0.0018). We also examined the relationship of specific symptomatology criteria with measures of NRG1 cleavage using the Bipolar Inventory of Signs and Symptoms Scale (BISS) and the Montgomery Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS). Our results showed a positive correlation between ADAM19 and psychosis (r = 0.595 p = 0.019); PS1 and mania (r = 0.535, p = 0.040); PS1 and depression (r = 0.567, p = 0.027) in BA9, and BACE1 with anxiety (r = 0.608, p = 0.03) in the hippocampus. Conclusion/Significance Our preliminary findings suggest region-specific alterations in NRG1 cleavage in SCZ and BPD patients. These changes may be associated with specific symptoms in these psychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ketan Marballi
- University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, Department of Cellular and Structural Biology, San Antonio, Texas, United States of America
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas, United States of America
| | - Dianne Cruz
- Southwest Brain Bank, Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas, United States of America
| | - Peter Thompson
- Southwest Brain Bank, Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas, United States of America
| | - Consuelo Walss-Bass
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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No association of COMT (Val158Met) genotype with brain structure differences between men and women. PLoS One 2012; 7:e33964. [PMID: 22479488 PMCID: PMC3316513 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0033964] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2011] [Accepted: 02/22/2012] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
We examined the effect of the catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) Val158Met polymorphism (rs4680), on brain structure in a subset (N = 82) of general population members of the Northern Finland 1966 Birth Cohort, selected through a randomization procedure, aged 33–35. Optimised voxel-based morphometry was used to produce grey matter maps from each subject's high resolution T1 weighted brain magnetic resonance images, which were subsequently entered into a general linear model with COMT genotype as defined by Met allele loading, gender and genotype by gender interaction as independent variables. Additional analyses were carried out on grey matter volumes within the dorsal lateral pre-frontal cortex (DLPFC) to examine effects on overall DLPFC volume and also using the DLPFC as a mask for voxelwise analyses, as this is an area previously reported as associated with Met allele loading. We failed to find any statistically significant association with grey matter volume and Met allele loading in the COMT gene or interaction affects between COMT and gender in either the whole brain voxel-wise analysis or in the area of the DLPFC.
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HAJEK TOMAS, KOPECEK MILOSLAV, HÖSCHL CYRIL. Reduced hippocampal volumes in healthy carriers of brain-derived neurotrophic factor Val66Met polymorphism: meta-analysis. World J Biol Psychiatry 2012; 13:178-87. [PMID: 21722019 PMCID: PMC4831902 DOI: 10.3109/15622975.2011.580005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 78] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Converging evidence suggests that the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) gene Val66Met polymorphism affects brain structure. Yet the majority of studies have shown no effect of this polymorphism on hippocampal volumes, perhaps due to small effect size. METHODS We performed a meta-analysis of studies investigating the association between Val66Met BDNF polymorphism and hippocampal volumes in healthy subjects by combining standardized differences between means (SDM) from individual studies using random effect models. RESULTS Data from 399 healthy subjects (255 Val-BDNF homozygotes and 144 carriers of at least one Met-BDNF allele) in seven studies were meta-analysed. Both the left and right hippocampi were significantly larger in Val-BDNF homozygotes than in carriers of at least one Met-BDNF allele (SDM = 0.41, 95% Confidence Interval = 0.20; 0.62, z = 3.86, P = 0.0001; SDM = 0.41; 95% Confidence Interval = 0.20; 0.61, z = 3.81, P = 0.0001, respectively), with no evidence of publication bias. CONCLUSIONS Healthy carriers of BDNF gene Val66Met polymorphism show bilateral hippocampal volume reduction. The effect size was small, but the same direction of effect was seen in all meta-analyzed studies. The association with the BDNF gene Val66Met polymorphism makes hippocampal volume a potential candidate for an endophenotype of disorders presenting with reduced hippocampal volumes.
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Affiliation(s)
- TOMAS HAJEK
- Department of Psychiatry, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada,Prague Psychiatric Centre, Department of Psychiatry and Medical Psychology, 3rd School of Medicine, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - MILOSLAV KOPECEK
- Prague Psychiatric Centre, Department of Psychiatry and Medical Psychology, 3rd School of Medicine, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - CYRIL HÖSCHL
- Prague Psychiatric Centre, Department of Psychiatry and Medical Psychology, 3rd School of Medicine, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
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Smith GN, Thornton AE, Lang DJ, Macewan GW, Ehmann TS, Kopala LC, Tee K, Shiau G, Voineskos AN, Kennedy JL, Honer WG. Hippocampal volume and the brain-derived neurotrophic factor Val66Met polymorphism in first episode psychosis. Schizophr Res 2012; 134:253-9. [PMID: 22192502 DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2011.11.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2011] [Revised: 11/14/2011] [Accepted: 11/16/2011] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Small hippocampi and impaired memory are common in patients with psychosis and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) plays a critical role in hippocampal neuroplasticity and memory. A common BDNF allele (Val66Met) has been the focus of numerous studies but results from the few BDNF-imaging studies are complex and contradictory. The objective of this study was to determine the association between Val66Met and hippocampal volume in patients with first episode psychosis. Secondary analyses explored age-related associations and the relationship between Val66Met and memory. METHOD Hippocampal volume and BDNF genotyping were obtained for 58 patients with first-episode psychosis and 39 healthy volunteers. Patients were recruited from an early psychosis program serving a catchment-area population. RESULTS Hippocampal volume was significantly smaller in patients than controls (F(1,92)=4.03, p<0.05) and there was a significant group-by-allele interaction (F(1,92)=3.99, p<0.05). Hippocampal volume was significantly smaller in patients than controls who were Val-homozygotes but no group differences were found for Met carriers. Findings were not affected by diagnosis, antipsychotic medication, or age, and there was no change in hippocampal volume during a one-year follow-up. Val-homozygous patients had worse immediate and delayed memory than their Met counterparts. CONCLUSIONS Results suggest the effects of the BDNF Val66Met allele may be different in patients with psychosis than in healthy adults. Hippocampal volume in patient and control Met allele carriers was very similar suggesting that illness-related factors have minimal influence in this group. In contrast, Val homozygosity was related to smaller hippocampi and poorer memory functioning only in patients with psychosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Geoffrey N Smith
- Department of Psychiatry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
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Agartz I, Brown AA, Rimol LM, Hartberg CB, Dale AM, Melle I, Djurovic S, Andreassen OA. Common sequence variants in the major histocompatibility complex region associate with cerebral ventricular size in schizophrenia. Biol Psychiatry 2011; 70:696-8. [PMID: 21514568 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2011.02.034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2010] [Revised: 02/25/2011] [Accepted: 02/25/2011] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Because of evidence from genetic linkage and genome-wide association studies, as well as suggested involvement of infection, the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) region on chromosome 6p21.3-22.1 has been implicated in the development of schizophrenia. METHODS Here, we investigated how gene variants across the MHC region are associated with brain structure in a large ethnically homogenous sample (n = 420), including patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders and other severe mental illness and healthy control subjects. RESULTS We demonstrate highly significant associations between common gene markers in the MHC region and cerebral ventricular volume specifically in schizophrenia spectrum patients (uncorrected p values between 1.16 × 10⁻⁴ and 2.00 × 10⁻⁷). One single nucleotide polymorphism, rs2596532, survives Bonferroni correction for multiple testing across all single nucleotide polymorphisms and brain structure measures (adjusted p value 5.59 × 10⁻⁴). CONCLUSIONS The results indicate that MHC variants are implicated in characteristic brain abnormalities of schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ingrid Agartz
- Institute of Clinical Medicine, Department of Biostatistics, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.
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Dutt A, Ganguly T, Shaikh M, Walshe M, Schulze K, Marshall N, Constante M, McDonald C, Murray RM, Allin MPG, Bramon E. Association between hippocampal volume and P300 event related potential in psychosis: support for the Kraepelinian divide. Neuroimage 2011; 59:997-1003. [PMID: 21924362 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2011.08.067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2011] [Revised: 08/08/2011] [Accepted: 08/21/2011] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Abnormalities of the P300 event related potential (ERP) and of hippocampal structure are observed in individuals with psychotic disorders and their unaffected relatives. The understanding and clinical management of psychotic disorders are largely based on the descriptive Kraepelinian distinction between 'dementia praecox' and 'manic depressive psychosis', and not dependant on any well demarcated biological underpinnings. The hippocampus is postulated to be one of the main P300 generators, yet it remains unknown whether hippocampal volume decrements are associated with P300 deficits in psychosis, and whether any association is shared across non-affective and affective psychotic disorders. METHODS 228 subjects from the Maudsley Family Psychosis Study comprising 55 patients with non-affective psychosis, 23 patients with psychotic bipolar disorder, 98 unaffected relatives, and 52 unrelated controls contributed structural MRI and ERP data. To study the relationship between hippocampal volume and P300 ERP, a seemingly unrelated regression methodology was used, accounting for whole brain volumes, clinical groups, age and gender in the analysis. RESULTS An association between left hippocampal volume and P300 latency in the combined sample comprising non-affective and affective psychotic patients, their relatives and controls was observed. There was an inverse relationship between brain structure and function in that prolongation of P300 latencies was associated with smaller left hippocampal volumes. On subdividing the sample based on Kraepelinian dichotomy, this association remained significant only for the non-affective psychosis group, comprising patients and their unaffected relatives. CONCLUSIONS Based on our findings, P300 latency, a measure of the speed of neural transmission, appears to be related to the size of the left hippocampus in schizophrenia, but not in psychotic bipolar disorder. It seems that underlying neuro-biological characteristics could help in unravelling the traditional Kraepelinian differentiation between the two major psychoses. The specificity of this brain structure-function association for schizophrenia opens the scope for further research using integration of multimodal biological data for objective categorisation of psychosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anirban Dutt
- NIHR Biomedical Research Centre, Institute of Psychiatry (King's College London)/South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK.
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