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Toro VD, Antonucci LA, Quarto T, Passiatore R, Fazio L, Ursini G, Chen Q, Masellis R, Torretta S, Sportelli L, Kikidis GC, Massari F, D'Ambrosio E, Rampino A, Pergola G, Weinberger DR, Bertolino A, Blasi G. The interaction between early life complications and a polygenic risk score for schizophrenia is associated with brain activity during emotion processing in healthy participants. Psychol Med 2024; 54:1876-1885. [PMID: 38305128 DOI: 10.1017/s0033291724000011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Previous evidence suggests that early life complications (ELCs) interact with polygenic risk for schizophrenia (SCZ) in increasing risk for the disease. However, no studies have investigated this interaction on neurobiological phenotypes. Among those, anomalous emotion-related brain activity has been reported in SCZ, even if evidence of its link with SCZ-related genetic risk is not solid. Indeed, it is possible this relationship is influenced by non-genetic risk factors. Thus, this study investigated the interaction between SCZ-related polygenic risk and ELCs on emotion-related brain activity. METHODS 169 healthy participants (HP) in a discovery and 113 HP in a replication sample underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) during emotion processing, were categorized for history of ELCs and genome-wide genotyped. Polygenic risk scores (PRSs) were computed using SCZ-associated variants considering the most recent genome-wide association study. Furthermore, 75 patients with SCZ also underwent fMRI during emotion processing to verify consistency of their brain activity patterns with those associated with risk factors for SCZ in HP. RESULTS Results in the discovery and replication samples indicated no effect of PRSs, but an interaction between PRS and ELCs in left ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (VLPFC), where the greater the activity, the greater PRS only in presence of ELCs. Moreover, SCZ had greater VLPFC response than HP. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that emotion-related VLPFC response lies in the path from genetic and non-genetic risk factors to the clinical presentation of SCZ, and may implicate an updated concept of intermediate phenotype considering early non-genetic factors of risk for SCZ.
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Affiliation(s)
- Veronica Debora Toro
- Psychiatric Neuroscience Group, Department of Translational Biomedicine and Neuroscience, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", Bari, Italy
- Department of Humanities, University of Foggia, Foggia, Italy
| | - Linda A Antonucci
- Psychiatric Neuroscience Group, Department of Translational Biomedicine and Neuroscience, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", Bari, Italy
| | - Tiziana Quarto
- Department of Humanities, University of Foggia, Foggia, Italy
| | - Roberta Passiatore
- Psychiatric Neuroscience Group, Department of Translational Biomedicine and Neuroscience, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", Bari, Italy
| | - Leonardo Fazio
- Psychiatric Neuroscience Group, Department of Translational Biomedicine and Neuroscience, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", Bari, Italy
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, Libera Università Mediterranea "Giuseppe Degennaro", Bari, Italy
| | - Gianluca Ursini
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Johns Hopkins Medical Campus, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Qiang Chen
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Johns Hopkins Medical Campus, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Rita Masellis
- Psychiatric Neuroscience Group, Department of Translational Biomedicine and Neuroscience, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", Bari, Italy
- U.O.C. Psichiatria Universitaria, Azìenda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Consorziale Policlinico, Bari, Italy
| | - Silvia Torretta
- Psychiatric Neuroscience Group, Department of Translational Biomedicine and Neuroscience, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", Bari, Italy
| | - Leonardo Sportelli
- Psychiatric Neuroscience Group, Department of Translational Biomedicine and Neuroscience, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", Bari, Italy
| | - Gianluca Christos Kikidis
- Psychiatric Neuroscience Group, Department of Translational Biomedicine and Neuroscience, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", Bari, Italy
| | - Francesco Massari
- Psychiatric Neuroscience Group, Department of Translational Biomedicine and Neuroscience, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", Bari, Italy
| | - Enrico D'Ambrosio
- Psychiatric Neuroscience Group, Department of Translational Biomedicine and Neuroscience, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", Bari, Italy
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, SE5 8AF, UK
| | - Antonio Rampino
- Psychiatric Neuroscience Group, Department of Translational Biomedicine and Neuroscience, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", Bari, Italy
- U.O.C. Psichiatria Universitaria, Azìenda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Consorziale Policlinico, Bari, Italy
| | - Giulio Pergola
- Psychiatric Neuroscience Group, Department of Translational Biomedicine and Neuroscience, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", Bari, Italy
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Johns Hopkins Medical Campus, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Daniel R Weinberger
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Johns Hopkins Medical Campus, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Alessandro Bertolino
- Psychiatric Neuroscience Group, Department of Translational Biomedicine and Neuroscience, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", Bari, Italy
- U.O.C. Psichiatria Universitaria, Azìenda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Consorziale Policlinico, Bari, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Blasi
- Psychiatric Neuroscience Group, Department of Translational Biomedicine and Neuroscience, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", Bari, Italy
- U.O.C. Psichiatria Universitaria, Azìenda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Consorziale Policlinico, Bari, Italy
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Fiorito AM, Aleman A, Blasi G, Bourque J, Cao H, Chan RCK, Chowdury A, Conrod P, Diwadkar VA, Goghari VM, Guinjoan S, Gur RE, Gur RC, Kwon JS, Lieslehto J, Lukow PB, Meyer-Lindenberg A, Modinos G, Quarto T, Spilka MJ, Shivakumar V, Venkatasubramanian G, Villarreal M, Wang Y, Wolf DH, Yun JY, Fakra E, Sescousse G. Are Brain Responses to Emotion a Reliable Endophenotype of Schizophrenia? An Image-Based Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Meta-analysis. Biol Psychiatry 2023; 93:167-177. [PMID: 36085080 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2022.06.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2022] [Revised: 06/07/2022] [Accepted: 06/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Impaired emotion processing constitutes a key dimension of schizophrenia and a possible endophenotype of this illness. Empirical studies consistently report poorer emotion recognition performance in patients with schizophrenia as well as in individuals at enhanced risk of schizophrenia. Functional magnetic resonance imaging studies also report consistent patterns of abnormal brain activation in response to emotional stimuli in patients, in particular, decreased amygdala activation. In contrast, brain-level abnormalities in at-risk individuals are more elusive. We address this gap using an image-based meta-analysis of the functional magnetic resonance imaging literature. METHODS Functional magnetic resonance imaging studies investigating brain responses to negative emotional stimuli and reporting a comparison between at-risk individuals and healthy control subjects were identified. Frequentist and Bayesian voxelwise meta-analyses were performed separately, by implementing a random-effect model with unthresholded group-level T-maps from individual studies as input. RESULTS In total, 17 studies with a cumulative total of 677 at-risk individuals and 805 healthy control subjects were included. Frequentist analyses did not reveal significant differences between at-risk individuals and healthy control subjects. Similar results were observed with Bayesian analyses, which provided strong evidence for the absence of meaningful brain activation differences across the entire brain. Region of interest analyses specifically focusing on the amygdala confirmed the lack of group differences in this region. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that brain activation patterns in response to emotional stimuli are unlikely to constitute a reliable endophenotype of schizophrenia. We suggest that future studies instead focus on impaired functional connectivity as an alternative and promising endophenotype.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna M Fiorito
- Lyon Neuroscience Research Center, INSERM U1028, CNRS UMR 5292, PSYR2 Team, University of Lyon, Lyon, France; Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital of Saint-Etienne, Saint-Etienne, France.
| | - André Aleman
- University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Department of Biomedical Sciences of Cells & Systems, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Giuseppe Blasi
- Group of Psychiatric Neuroscience, Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Neuroscience and Sense Organs, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy
| | - Josiane Bourque
- Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Hengyi Cao
- Center for Psychiatric Neuroscience, Feinstein Institute for Medical Research, Manhasset, New York
| | - Raymond C K Chan
- Neuropsychology and Applied Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, Chinese Academy of Sciences Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Beijing, China
| | - Asadur Chowdury
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan
| | - Patricia Conrod
- CHU Sainte-Justine Research Center, Department of Psychiatry and Addiction, University of Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Vaibhav A Diwadkar
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan
| | - Vina M Goghari
- Department of Psychological Clinical Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | | | - Raquel E Gur
- Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Ruben C Gur
- Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Jun Soo Kwon
- Department of Psychiatry, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Johannes Lieslehto
- University of Eastern Finland, Department of Forensic Psychiatry, Niuvanniemi Hospital, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Paulina B Lukow
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Andreas Meyer-Lindenberg
- Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim/Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Gemma Modinos
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
| | | | - Michael J Spilka
- Department of Psychology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia
| | - Venkataram Shivakumar
- Department of Integrative Medicine, National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences, Bengaluru, India
| | | | - Mirta Villarreal
- Instituto de Neurociencias FLENI-CONICET, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, UBA, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Yi Wang
- Neuropsychology and Applied Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, Chinese Academy of Sciences Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Beijing, China
| | - Daniel H Wolf
- Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Je-Yeon Yun
- Department of Psychiatry, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Eric Fakra
- Lyon Neuroscience Research Center, INSERM U1028, CNRS UMR 5292, PSYR2 Team, University of Lyon, Lyon, France; Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital of Saint-Etienne, Saint-Etienne, France
| | - Guillaume Sescousse
- Lyon Neuroscience Research Center, INSERM U1028, CNRS UMR 5292, PSYR2 Team, University of Lyon, Lyon, France; Centre Hospitalier Le Vinatier, Bron, France
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3
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Antonucci LA, Pergola G, Passiatore R, Taurisano P, Quarto T, Dispoto E, Rampino A, Bertolino A, Cassibba R, Blasi G. The interaction between OXTR rs2268493 and perceived maternal care is associated with amygdala-dorsolateral prefrontal effective connectivity during explicit emotion processing. Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci 2020; 270:553-565. [PMID: 31471679 DOI: 10.1007/s00406-019-01062-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2019] [Accepted: 08/23/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Previous studies have indicated a link between socio-emotional processing and the oxytocin receptor. In this regard, a single nucleotide polymorphism in the oxytocin receptor coding gene (OXTR rs2268493) has been linked with lower social functioning, increased risk for autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) and with post-mortem OXTR mRNA expression levels. Indeed, the levels of expression of OXTR in brain regions involved in emotion processing are also associated with maternal care. Furthermore, maternal care has been associated with emotional correlates. Taken together, these previous findings suggest a possible combined effect of rs2268493 and maternal care on emotion-related brain phenotypes. A crucial biological mechanism subtending emotional processing is the amygdala-dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) functional connection. On this basis, our aim was to investigate the interaction between rs2268493 and maternal care on amygdala-DLPFC effective connectivity during emotional evaluation. We characterized through dynamic causal modeling (DCM) patterns of amygdala-DLPFC effective connectivity during explicit emotion processing in healthy controls (HC), profiled based on maternal care and rs2268493 genotype. In the whole sample, right top-down DLPFC-to-amygdala pattern was the most likely directional model of effective connectivity. This pattern of connectivity was the most likely for all rs2268493/maternal care subgroups, except for thymine homozygous (TT)/low maternal care individuals. Here, a right bottom-up amygdala-to-DLPFC was the most likely directional model. These results suggest a gene by environment interaction mediated by the oxytocin receptor on biological phenotypes relevant to emotion processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linda A Antonucci
- Section for Neurodiagnostic Applications, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Ludwig-Maximilians Universität, 80336, Munich, Germany.,Department of Educational Science, Psychology and Communication Science, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", 70121, Bari, Italy.,Department of Basic Medical Science, Neuroscience and Sense Organs, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", Piazza Giulio Cesare, 11, 70124, Bari, Italy
| | - Giulio Pergola
- Department of Basic Medical Science, Neuroscience and Sense Organs, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", Piazza Giulio Cesare, 11, 70124, Bari, Italy
| | - Roberta Passiatore
- Department of Basic Medical Science, Neuroscience and Sense Organs, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", Piazza Giulio Cesare, 11, 70124, Bari, Italy
| | - Paolo Taurisano
- Department of Basic Medical Science, Neuroscience and Sense Organs, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", Piazza Giulio Cesare, 11, 70124, Bari, Italy.,IRCCS "Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza", San Giovanni Rotondo, 71013, Foggia, Italy
| | - Tiziana Quarto
- Department of Basic Medical Science, Neuroscience and Sense Organs, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", Piazza Giulio Cesare, 11, 70124, Bari, Italy
| | - Eleonora Dispoto
- Department of Educational Science, Psychology and Communication Science, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", 70121, Bari, Italy
| | - Antonio Rampino
- Department of Basic Medical Science, Neuroscience and Sense Organs, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", Piazza Giulio Cesare, 11, 70124, Bari, Italy.,Psychiatry Unit, Bari University Hospital, 70124, Bari, Italy
| | - Alessandro Bertolino
- Department of Basic Medical Science, Neuroscience and Sense Organs, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", Piazza Giulio Cesare, 11, 70124, Bari, Italy.,Psychiatry Unit, Bari University Hospital, 70124, Bari, Italy
| | - Rosalinda Cassibba
- Department of Educational Science, Psychology and Communication Science, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", 70121, Bari, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Blasi
- Department of Basic Medical Science, Neuroscience and Sense Organs, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", Piazza Giulio Cesare, 11, 70124, Bari, Italy. .,Psychiatry Unit, Bari University Hospital, 70124, Bari, Italy.
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4
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Rampino A, Torretta S, Rizzo G, Viscanti G, Quarto T, Gelao B, Fazio L, Attrotto MT, Masellis R, Pergola G, Bertolino A, Blasi G. Emotional Stability Interacts with Cortisol Levels Before fMRI on Brain Processing of Fearful Faces. Neuroscience 2019; 416:190-197. [PMID: 31400483 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2019.08.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2019] [Revised: 07/31/2019] [Accepted: 08/01/2019] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Functional-Magnetic-Imaging (fMRI) is widely adopted to investigate neurophysiological correlates of emotion processing (EP). However, studies have reported that scanning procedures in neuroimaging protocols may increase or cause anxiety and psychological distress related with the scanning, thus inducing peripheral cortisol release. These phenomena may in turn impact on brain EP. Additionally, previous findings have indicated that inter-individual differences in stress-response intensity are mediated by levels of Emotional Stability (ES), a personality trait that has been associated with brain activity during EP, especially in amygdala and prefrontal cortex (PFC). The aim of this study was to investigate the interaction between indices of stress related to anticipation of fMRI scanning and levels of ES on amygdala and PFC activity during EP. With this aim, 55 healthy volunteers were characterized for trait ES. Furthermore, salivary cortisol levels at baseline and soon before fMRI scanning were measured as an index of stress related to scanning anticipation. During fMRI, participants performed an explicit EP task. We found that variation in salivary cortisol (Δc) interacts with ES on left amygdala and PFC activity during EP. More in details, in the context of a higher ES, the greater the Δc, the lower the activity in left amygdala and PFC. In the context of lower ES, the opposite Δc-brain activity relationship was found. Our results suggest that the stressful potential of fMRI interacts with personality traits in modulating brain activity during EP. These findings should be taken into account when interpreting neuroimaging studies especially exploring brain physiology during EP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonio Rampino
- University of Bari "Aldo Moro", Department of Basic Medical Science, Neuroscience and Sense Organs, Piazza Giulio Cesare 11, 70124 Bari, Italy; Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Consorziale Policlinico di Bari, Piazza Giulio Cesare 11, 70124, Bari, Italy
| | - Silvia Torretta
- University of Bari "Aldo Moro", Department of Basic Medical Science, Neuroscience and Sense Organs, Piazza Giulio Cesare 11, 70124 Bari, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Rizzo
- University of Bari "Aldo Moro", Department of Basic Medical Science, Neuroscience and Sense Organs, Piazza Giulio Cesare 11, 70124 Bari, Italy
| | - Giovanna Viscanti
- University of Bari "Aldo Moro", Department of Basic Medical Science, Neuroscience and Sense Organs, Piazza Giulio Cesare 11, 70124 Bari, Italy
| | - Tiziana Quarto
- University of Bari "Aldo Moro", Department of Basic Medical Science, Neuroscience and Sense Organs, Piazza Giulio Cesare 11, 70124 Bari, Italy
| | - Barbara Gelao
- University of Bari "Aldo Moro", Department of Basic Medical Science, Neuroscience and Sense Organs, Piazza Giulio Cesare 11, 70124 Bari, Italy
| | - Leonardo Fazio
- IRCCS Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza, San Giovanni Rotondo (FG), Italy
| | - Maria Teresa Attrotto
- University of Bari "Aldo Moro", Department of Basic Medical Science, Neuroscience and Sense Organs, Piazza Giulio Cesare 11, 70124 Bari, Italy
| | - Rita Masellis
- University of Bari "Aldo Moro", Department of Basic Medical Science, Neuroscience and Sense Organs, Piazza Giulio Cesare 11, 70124 Bari, Italy
| | - Giulio Pergola
- University of Bari "Aldo Moro", Department of Basic Medical Science, Neuroscience and Sense Organs, Piazza Giulio Cesare 11, 70124 Bari, Italy
| | - Alessandro Bertolino
- University of Bari "Aldo Moro", Department of Basic Medical Science, Neuroscience and Sense Organs, Piazza Giulio Cesare 11, 70124 Bari, Italy; Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Consorziale Policlinico di Bari, Piazza Giulio Cesare 11, 70124, Bari, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Blasi
- University of Bari "Aldo Moro", Department of Basic Medical Science, Neuroscience and Sense Organs, Piazza Giulio Cesare 11, 70124 Bari, Italy; Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Consorziale Policlinico di Bari, Piazza Giulio Cesare 11, 70124, Bari, Italy.
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5
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Usefulness of COMT gene polymorphisms in North African populations. Gene 2019; 696:186-196. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gene.2019.02.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2018] [Revised: 01/08/2019] [Accepted: 02/01/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
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6
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Quarto T, Paparella I, De Tullio D, Viscanti G, Fazio L, Taurisano P, Romano R, Rampino A, Masellis R, Popolizio T, Selvaggi P, Pergola G, Bertolino A, Blasi G. Familial Risk and a Genome-Wide Supported DRD2 Variant for Schizophrenia Predict Lateral Prefrontal-Amygdala Effective Connectivity During Emotion Processing. Schizophr Bull 2018; 44:834-843. [PMID: 28981847 PMCID: PMC6007415 DOI: 10.1093/schbul/sbx128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
The brain functional mechanisms translating genetic risk into emotional symptoms in schizophrenia (SCZ) may include abnormal functional integration between areas key for emotion processing, such as the amygdala and the lateral prefrontal cortex (LPFC). Indeed, investigation of these mechanisms is also complicated by emotion processing comprising different subcomponents and by disease-associated state variables. Here, our aim was to investigate the relationship between risk for SCZ and effective connectivity between the amygdala and the LPFC during different subcomponents of emotion processing. Thus, we first characterized with dynamic causal modeling (DCM) physiological patterns of LPFC-amygdala effective connectivity in healthy controls (HC) during implicit and explicit emotion processing. Then, we compared DCM patterns in a subsample of HC, in patients with SCZ and in healthy siblings of patients (SIB), matched for demographics. Finally, we investigated in HC association of LPFC-amygdala effective connectivity with a genome-wide supported variant increasing genetic risk for SCZ and possibly relevant to emotion processing (DRD2 rs2514218). In HC, we found that a "bottom-up" amygdala-to-LPFC pattern during implicit processing and a "top-down" LPFC-to-amygdala pattern during explicit processing were the most likely directional models of effective connectivity. Differently, implicit emotion processing in SIB, SCZ, and HC homozygous for the SCZ risk rs2514218 C allele was associated with decreased probability for the "bottom-up" as well as with increased probability for the "top-down" model. These findings suggest that task-specific anomaly in the directional flow of information or disconnection between the amygdala and the LPFC is a good candidate endophenotype of SCZ.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tiziana Quarto
- Psychiatric Neuroscience Group, Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Neuroscience and Sense Organs, University of Bari “Aldo Moro”, Bari, Italy,Cognitive Brain Research Unit, Department of Psychology and Logopedics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Isabella Paparella
- Psychiatric Neuroscience Group, Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Neuroscience and Sense Organs, University of Bari “Aldo Moro”, Bari, Italy
| | - Davide De Tullio
- Psychiatric Neuroscience Group, Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Neuroscience and Sense Organs, University of Bari “Aldo Moro”, Bari, Italy
| | - Giovanna Viscanti
- Psychiatric Neuroscience Group, Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Neuroscience and Sense Organs, University of Bari “Aldo Moro”, Bari, Italy
| | - Leonardo Fazio
- Psychiatric Neuroscience Group, Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Neuroscience and Sense Organs, University of Bari “Aldo Moro”, Bari, Italy
| | - Paolo Taurisano
- Psychiatric Neuroscience Group, Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Neuroscience and Sense Organs, University of Bari “Aldo Moro”, Bari, Italy
| | - Raffaella Romano
- Psychiatric Neuroscience Group, Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Neuroscience and Sense Organs, University of Bari “Aldo Moro”, Bari, Italy
| | - Antonio Rampino
- Psychiatric Neuroscience Group, Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Neuroscience and Sense Organs, University of Bari “Aldo Moro”, Bari, Italy
| | - Rita Masellis
- Psychiatric Neuroscience Group, Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Neuroscience and Sense Organs, University of Bari “Aldo Moro”, Bari, Italy
| | - Teresa Popolizio
- IRCCS “Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza”, San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy
| | - Pierluigi Selvaggi
- Psychiatric Neuroscience Group, Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Neuroscience and Sense Organs, University of Bari “Aldo Moro”, Bari, Italy,Department of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, UK
| | - Giulio Pergola
- Psychiatric Neuroscience Group, Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Neuroscience and Sense Organs, University of Bari “Aldo Moro”, Bari, Italy
| | - Alessandro Bertolino
- Psychiatric Neuroscience Group, Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Neuroscience and Sense Organs, University of Bari “Aldo Moro”, Bari, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Blasi
- Psychiatric Neuroscience Group, Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Neuroscience and Sense Organs, University of Bari “Aldo Moro”, Bari, Italy,To whom correspondence should be addressed; tel: +390 8055 93629; fax: +390 8055 93204; e-mail:
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Tylec A, Jeleniewicz W, Mortimer A, Bednarska-Makaruk M, Kucharska K. Interaction Between Val158Met Catechol-O-Methyltransferase Polymorphism and Social Cognitive Functioning in Schizophrenia: Pilot Study. Ann Hum Genet 2017; 81:267-275. [PMID: 28856668 DOI: 10.1111/ahg.12209] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2016] [Revised: 06/16/2017] [Accepted: 07/24/2017] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Aneta Tylec
- Department of Psychiatry; Medical University of Lublin; Lublin Poland
| | - Witold Jeleniewicz
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology; Medical University of Lublin; Lublin Poland
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8
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Ursini G, Cavalleri T, Fazio L, Angrisano T, Iacovelli L, Porcelli A, Maddalena G, Punzi G, Mancini M, Gelao B, Romano R, Masellis R, Calabrese F, Rampino A, Taurisano P, Di Giorgio A, Keller S, Tarantini L, Sinibaldi L, Quarto T, Popolizio T, Caforio G, Blasi G, Riva MA, De Blasi A, Chiariotti L, Bollati V, Bertolino A. BDNF rs6265 methylation and genotype interact on risk for schizophrenia. Epigenetics 2016; 11:11-23. [PMID: 26889735 DOI: 10.1080/15592294.2015.1117736] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Epigenetic mechanisms can mediate gene-environment interactions relevant for complex disorders. The BDNF gene is crucial for development and brain plasticity, is sensitive to environmental stressors, such as hypoxia, and harbors the functional SNP rs6265 (Val(66)Met), which creates or abolishes a CpG dinucleotide for DNA methylation. We found that methylation at the BDNF rs6265 Val allele in peripheral blood of healthy subjects is associated with hypoxia-related early life events (hOCs) and intermediate phenotypes for schizophrenia in a distinctive manner, depending on rs6265 genotype: in ValVal individuals increased methylation is associated with exposure to hOCs and impaired working memory (WM) accuracy, while the opposite is true for ValMet subjects. Also, rs6265 methylation and hOCs interact in modulating WM-related prefrontal activity, another intermediate phenotype for schizophrenia, with an analogous opposite direction in the 2 genotypes. Consistently, rs6265 methylation has a different association with schizophrenia risk in ValVals and ValMets. The relationships of methylation with BDNF levels and of genotype with BHLHB2 binding likely contribute to these opposite effects of methylation. We conclude that BDNF rs6265 methylation interacts with genotype to bridge early environmental exposures to adult phenotypes, relevant for schizophrenia. The study of epigenetic changes in regions containing genetic variation relevant for human diseases may have beneficial implications for the understanding of how genes are actually translated into phenotypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gianluca Ursini
- a Psychiatric Neuroscience Group, Department of Basic Medical Science, Neuroscience and Sense Organs, University of Bari 'Aldo Moro' , Bari , Italy.,b Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Johns Hopkins University Medical Campus , Baltimore , MD , US
| | - Tommaso Cavalleri
- c Department of Clinical and Community Sciences, Università degli Studi di Milano , Milan , Italy.,d Istituto Di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS) Maggiore Hospital, Mangiagalli and Regina Elena Foundation , Milan , Italy
| | - Leonardo Fazio
- a Psychiatric Neuroscience Group, Department of Basic Medical Science, Neuroscience and Sense Organs, University of Bari 'Aldo Moro' , Bari , Italy
| | - Tiziana Angrisano
- e Istituto di Endocrinologia e Oncologia Sperimentale, IEOS, CNR, and Dipartimento di Medicina Molecolare e Biotecnologie Mediche, Università degli Studi di Napoli 'Federico II' , Naples
| | - Luisa Iacovelli
- f Department of Physiology and Pharmacology 'V. Erspamer', University of Rome 'Sapienza' , Rome , Italy
| | - Annamaria Porcelli
- a Psychiatric Neuroscience Group, Department of Basic Medical Science, Neuroscience and Sense Organs, University of Bari 'Aldo Moro' , Bari , Italy
| | - Giancarlo Maddalena
- a Psychiatric Neuroscience Group, Department of Basic Medical Science, Neuroscience and Sense Organs, University of Bari 'Aldo Moro' , Bari , Italy
| | - Giovanna Punzi
- a Psychiatric Neuroscience Group, Department of Basic Medical Science, Neuroscience and Sense Organs, University of Bari 'Aldo Moro' , Bari , Italy.,b Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Johns Hopkins University Medical Campus , Baltimore , MD , US
| | - Marina Mancini
- a Psychiatric Neuroscience Group, Department of Basic Medical Science, Neuroscience and Sense Organs, University of Bari 'Aldo Moro' , Bari , Italy
| | - Barbara Gelao
- a Psychiatric Neuroscience Group, Department of Basic Medical Science, Neuroscience and Sense Organs, University of Bari 'Aldo Moro' , Bari , Italy
| | - Raffaella Romano
- a Psychiatric Neuroscience Group, Department of Basic Medical Science, Neuroscience and Sense Organs, University of Bari 'Aldo Moro' , Bari , Italy
| | - Rita Masellis
- a Psychiatric Neuroscience Group, Department of Basic Medical Science, Neuroscience and Sense Organs, University of Bari 'Aldo Moro' , Bari , Italy
| | - Francesca Calabrese
- g Center of Neuropharmacology; Dipartimento di Scienze Farmacologiche e Biomolecolari; Università degli Studi di Milano , Milan , Italy
| | - Antonio Rampino
- a Psychiatric Neuroscience Group, Department of Basic Medical Science, Neuroscience and Sense Organs, University of Bari 'Aldo Moro' , Bari , Italy
| | - Paolo Taurisano
- a Psychiatric Neuroscience Group, Department of Basic Medical Science, Neuroscience and Sense Organs, University of Bari 'Aldo Moro' , Bari , Italy
| | - Annabella Di Giorgio
- h Department of Neuroradiology, Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS) 'Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza' , San Giovanni Rotondo , Italy
| | - Simona Keller
- e Istituto di Endocrinologia e Oncologia Sperimentale, IEOS, CNR, and Dipartimento di Medicina Molecolare e Biotecnologie Mediche, Università degli Studi di Napoli 'Federico II' , Naples
| | - Letizia Tarantini
- c Department of Clinical and Community Sciences, Università degli Studi di Milano , Milan , Italy.,d Istituto Di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS) Maggiore Hospital, Mangiagalli and Regina Elena Foundation , Milan , Italy
| | - Lorenzo Sinibaldi
- i Mendel Laboratory, Istituto di Ricoveroe Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS) 'Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza' , San Giovanni Rotondo , Italy
| | - Tiziana Quarto
- a Psychiatric Neuroscience Group, Department of Basic Medical Science, Neuroscience and Sense Organs, University of Bari 'Aldo Moro' , Bari , Italy.,j Cognitive Brain Research Unit, Institute of Behavioral Sciences, University of Helsinki , Helsinki , Finland
| | - Teresa Popolizio
- h Department of Neuroradiology, Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS) 'Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza' , San Giovanni Rotondo , Italy
| | - Grazia Caforio
- a Psychiatric Neuroscience Group, Department of Basic Medical Science, Neuroscience and Sense Organs, University of Bari 'Aldo Moro' , Bari , Italy
| | - Giuseppe Blasi
- a Psychiatric Neuroscience Group, Department of Basic Medical Science, Neuroscience and Sense Organs, University of Bari 'Aldo Moro' , Bari , Italy
| | - Marco A Riva
- g Center of Neuropharmacology; Dipartimento di Scienze Farmacologiche e Biomolecolari; Università degli Studi di Milano , Milan , Italy
| | - Antonio De Blasi
- k Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Rome 'Sapienza' , Rome , Italy
| | - Lorenzo Chiariotti
- e Istituto di Endocrinologia e Oncologia Sperimentale, IEOS, CNR, and Dipartimento di Medicina Molecolare e Biotecnologie Mediche, Università degli Studi di Napoli 'Federico II' , Naples
| | - Valentina Bollati
- c Department of Clinical and Community Sciences, Università degli Studi di Milano , Milan , Italy.,d Istituto Di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS) Maggiore Hospital, Mangiagalli and Regina Elena Foundation , Milan , Italy
| | - Alessandro Bertolino
- a Psychiatric Neuroscience Group, Department of Basic Medical Science, Neuroscience and Sense Organs, University of Bari 'Aldo Moro' , Bari , Italy.,h Department of Neuroradiology, Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS) 'Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza' , San Giovanni Rotondo , Italy
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9
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Quarto T, Blasi G, Maddalena C, Viscanti G, Lanciano T, Soleti E, Mangiulli I, Taurisano P, Fazio L, Bertolino A, Curci A. Association between Ability Emotional Intelligence and Left Insula during Social Judgment of Facial Emotions. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0148621. [PMID: 26859495 PMCID: PMC4747486 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0148621] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2015] [Accepted: 01/21/2016] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The human ability of identifying, processing and regulating emotions from social stimuli is generally referred as Emotional Intelligence (EI). Within EI, Ability EI identifies a performance measure assessing individual skills at perceiving, using, understanding and managing emotions. Previous models suggest that a brain "somatic marker circuitry" (SMC) sustains emotional sub-processes included in EI. Three primary brain regions are included: the amygdala, the insula and the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC). Here, our aim was to investigate the relationship between Ability EI scores and SMC activity during social judgment of emotional faces. Sixty-three healthy subjects completed a test measuring Ability EI and underwent fMRI during a social decision task (i.e. approach or avoid) about emotional faces with different facial expressions. Imaging data revealed that EI scores are associated with left insula activity during social judgment of emotional faces as a function of facial expression. Specifically, higher EI scores are associated with greater left insula activity during social judgment of fearful faces but also with lower activity of this region during social judgment of angry faces. These findings indicate that the association between Ability EI and the SMC activity during social behavior is region- and emotion-specific.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tiziana Quarto
- Psychiatric Neuroscience Group, Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Neuroscience and Sense Organs, University of Bari “Aldo Moro”, Bari, Italy
- Cognitive Brain Research Unit, Institute of Behavioral Science, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Giuseppe Blasi
- Psychiatric Neuroscience Group, Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Neuroscience and Sense Organs, University of Bari “Aldo Moro”, Bari, Italy
| | - Chiara Maddalena
- Department of Education Science, Psychology and Communication Science, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", Bari, Italy
| | - Giovanna Viscanti
- Psychiatric Neuroscience Group, Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Neuroscience and Sense Organs, University of Bari “Aldo Moro”, Bari, Italy
| | - Tiziana Lanciano
- Department of Education Science, Psychology and Communication Science, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", Bari, Italy
| | - Emanuela Soleti
- Department of Education Science, Psychology and Communication Science, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", Bari, Italy
| | - Ivan Mangiulli
- Department of Education Science, Psychology and Communication Science, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", Bari, Italy
| | - Paolo Taurisano
- Psychiatric Neuroscience Group, Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Neuroscience and Sense Organs, University of Bari “Aldo Moro”, Bari, Italy
| | - Leonardo Fazio
- Psychiatric Neuroscience Group, Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Neuroscience and Sense Organs, University of Bari “Aldo Moro”, Bari, Italy
| | - Alessandro Bertolino
- Psychiatric Neuroscience Group, Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Neuroscience and Sense Organs, University of Bari “Aldo Moro”, Bari, Italy
- pRED, NORD DTA, Hoffman-La Roche Ltd, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Antonietta Curci
- Department of Education Science, Psychology and Communication Science, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", Bari, Italy
- * E-mail:
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10
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Jin J, Liu L, Gao Q, Chan RCK, Li H, Chen Y, Wang Y, Qian Q. The divergent impact ofCOMTVal158Met on executive function in children with and without attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. GENES BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR 2016; 15:271-9. [DOI: 10.1111/gbb.12270] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2015] [Revised: 10/28/2015] [Accepted: 11/03/2015] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- J. Jin
- Peking University Sixth Hospital/Institute of Mental Health
- National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders (Peking University Sixth Hospital)
- Key Laboratory of Mental Health; Ministry of Health (Peking University)
| | - L. Liu
- Peking University Sixth Hospital/Institute of Mental Health
- National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders (Peking University Sixth Hospital)
- Key Laboratory of Mental Health; Ministry of Health (Peking University)
| | - Q. Gao
- Peking University Sixth Hospital/Institute of Mental Health
- National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders (Peking University Sixth Hospital)
- Key Laboratory of Mental Health; Ministry of Health (Peking University)
| | - R. C. K. Chan
- Neuropsychology and Applied Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology; Chinese Academy of Sciences; Beijing China
| | - H. Li
- Peking University Sixth Hospital/Institute of Mental Health
- National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders (Peking University Sixth Hospital)
- Key Laboratory of Mental Health; Ministry of Health (Peking University)
| | - Y. Chen
- Peking University Sixth Hospital/Institute of Mental Health
- National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders (Peking University Sixth Hospital)
- Key Laboratory of Mental Health; Ministry of Health (Peking University)
| | - Y. Wang
- Peking University Sixth Hospital/Institute of Mental Health
- National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders (Peking University Sixth Hospital)
- Key Laboratory of Mental Health; Ministry of Health (Peking University)
| | - Q. Qian
- Peking University Sixth Hospital/Institute of Mental Health
- National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders (Peking University Sixth Hospital)
- Key Laboratory of Mental Health; Ministry of Health (Peking University)
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11
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van der Velde J, Opmeer EM, Liemburg EJ, Bruggeman R, Nieboer R, Wunderink L, Aleman A. Lower prefrontal activation during emotion regulation in subjects at ultrahigh risk for psychosis: an fMRI-study. NPJ SCHIZOPHRENIA 2015; 1:15026. [PMID: 27336036 PMCID: PMC4849453 DOI: 10.1038/npjschz.2015.26] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2014] [Revised: 04/04/2015] [Accepted: 06/04/2015] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Previous research has shown that patients with schizophrenia experience difficulties with emotion regulation and activate prefrontal regions to a lesser extent during reappraisal of emotional information. It has been suggested that problems in emotion regulation might precede the onset of psychosis. Therefore, it could be hypothesized that also individuals at ultrahigh risk (UHR) for developing psychosis experience difficulties with emotion regulation. AIMS The aim of the current study was to investigate whether individuals at UHR for developing psychosis show abnormal brain activation during reappraisal of negative pictures. METHODS Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), we scanned 15 UHR participants and 16 matched healthy controls while performing an emotion regulation task. During this task, participants had to reappraise their negative emotion elicited by International Affective Picture System pictures. Furthermore, the reported use of reappraisal was examined with the emotion regulation questionnaire (ERQ). RESULTS Individuals at UHR for psychosis showed less activation in the left ventrolateral prefrontal cortex during reappraisal compared with healthy controls. Furthermore, they reported less use of reappraisal in daily life (P=0.01; 95% CI (0.24-1.63)). CONCLUSIONS These findings indicate that dysfunctional emotion regulation may already occur in individuals at risk for psychosis. These regulation difficulties are underpinned by less ventrolateral prefrontal cortex activation, and may result in high negative affect, lower social functioning, and high rates of psychotic symptoms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jorien van der Velde
- Neuroimaging Center, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands; Academy for social studies, Hanze University of Applied Sciences, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Esther M Opmeer
- Neuroimaging Center, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen , Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Edith J Liemburg
- Neuroimaging Center, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands; Rob Giel Research Center, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Richard Bruggeman
- Rob Giel Research Center, University Medical Center Groningen , Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Roeline Nieboer
- Department of Psychosis studies, Mental Health Care Friesland , Leeuwarden, The Netherlands
| | - Lex Wunderink
- Department of Psychosis studies, Mental Health Care Friesland , Leeuwarden, The Netherlands
| | - André Aleman
- Neuroimaging Center, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands; Department of Psychology, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
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12
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Abstract
Inhibition of glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK3β) is a shared action believed to be involved in the regulation of behavior by psychoactive drugs such as antipsychotics and mood stabilizers. However, little is known about the identity of the substrates through which GSK3β affects behavior. We identified fragile X mental retardation-related protein 1 (FXR1P), a RNA binding protein associated to genetic risk for schizophrenia, as a substrate for GSK3β. Phosphorylation of FXR1P by GSK3β is facilitated by prior phosphorylation by ERK2 and leads to its down-regulation. In contrast, behaviorally effective chronic mood stabilizer treatments in mice inhibit GSK3β and increase FXR1P levels. In line with this, overexpression of FXR1P in the mouse prefrontal cortex also leads to comparable mood-related responses. Furthermore, functional genetic polymorphisms affecting either FXR1P or GSK3β gene expression interact to regulate emotional brain responsiveness and stability in humans. These observations uncovered a GSK3β/FXR1P signaling pathway that contributes to regulating mood and emotion processing. Regulation of FXR1P by GSK3β also provides a mechanistic framework that may explain how inhibition of GSK3β can contribute to the regulation of mood by psychoactive drugs in mental illnesses such as bipolar disorder. Moreover, this pathway could potentially be implicated in other biological functions, such as inflammation and cell proliferation, in which FXR1P and GSK3 are known to play a role.
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13
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Rominger C, Weiss EM, Nagl S, Niederstätter H, Parson W, Papousek I. Carriers of the COMT Met/Met allele have higher degrees of hypnotizability, provided that they have good attentional control: a case of gene-trait interaction. Int J Clin Exp Hypn 2014; 62:455-82. [PMID: 25084618 DOI: 10.1080/00207144.2014.931177] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
Genetic factors may explain part of the interindividual variability in hypnotizability. A new avenue that may provide more comprehensive understanding of the phenotypic effects of genetic variations is the study of gene-trait interaction. In this study, the authors investigate the relationship of the dopamine-related COMT and the serotonin-related 5-HTTLPR polymorphisms to hypnotizability by taking individual differences in executive attention into account. Homozygosity for the COMT Met allele, putatively linked to the capability or proneness to dissociate from reality, was associated with high hypnotizability only if paired with high-attention ability. The finding can be integrated into hypnosis theory and represents a case of gene-trait interaction suggesting that investigating the effects of a gene in the context of relevant psychological traits may further elucidate gene-brain-behavior relationships.
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14
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Dynamic expression of tyrosine hydroxylase mRNA and protein in neurons of the striatum and amygdala of mice, and experimental evidence of their multiple embryonic origin. Brain Struct Funct 2013; 219:751-76. [PMID: 23479178 PMCID: PMC4023077 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-013-0533-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2012] [Accepted: 02/21/2013] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Emotional and motivational dysfunctions observed in Parkinson's disease, schizophrenia, and drug addiction are associated to an alteration of the mesocortical and mesolimbic dopaminergic pathways, which include axons projecting to the prefrontal cortex, the ventral striatum, and the amygdala. Subpopulations of catecholaminergic neurons have been described in the cortex and striatum of several mammals, but the presence of such cells in the adult amygdala is unclear in murine rodents, and in other rodents appears to show variations depending on the species. Moreover, the embryonic origin of telencephalic tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) cells is unknown, which is essential for trying to understand aspects of their evolution, distribution and function. Herein we investigated the expression of TH mRNA and protein in cells of the striatum and amygdala of developing and adult mice, and analyzed the embryonic origin of such cells using in vitro migration assays. Our results showed the presence of TH mRNA and protein expressing cells in the striatum (including nucleus accumbens), central and medial extended amygdala during development, which are persistent in adulthood although they are less numerous, generally show weak mRNA expression, and some appear to lack the protein. Fate mapping analysis showed that these cells include at least two subpopulations with different embryonic origin in either the commissural preoptic area of the subpallium or the supraopto-paraventricular domain of the alar hypothalamus. These data are important for future studies trying to understand the role of catecholamines in modulation of emotion, motivation, and reward.
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